Love Makes War
by Roriette
Summary: Objective: befriend opposing mafia power, Millefiore's heir. Do it or die trying. "...Baka-Tsuna, I don't remember telling you to fall in love." HIII! Byakuran/Tsuna/Mukuro D27, XB96...
1. Beginning of a Life Time

**Summary:** In a world where the beautiful, the rich, and the confident reside, Tsuna seems to be under the misfortune of an unlucky star all his life. But with the help of a strange baby, can he flip his life 360 degrees? But when a Mafiaso who fits under beautiful, rich, confident, _and_ sadistic takes an interest in our cute failure, Tsuna, his life may even take an extra 180 turn!

**Author's Note:** Warning for teh slashy-ness. 'Tis be Tsuna's worst nightmare yet. =]

**"_One_" **~ _Epik High ft. JiSun_

* * *

_Time is ticking. Time is ticking, ticking away._

The auditorium hushed in anxiety, all eyes focused on the main player on the gym floor. There was only a minute left in this round, and depending on this shot, the school's high school team might end up as the winner of the league. The sound of rapid dribbling drummed on the recently waxed field, and the player dressed in the white uniform of Millefiore Academy swerved past his opposing defense. Now he was dangerously close to the goal, ensuing in an uproar from the competing team.

"Block him, you idiot!" the bulky captain of the inferior high school sports team shouted to the player near the star's area. Said player rushed to obey, frantically flinging his arms wildly in an attempt to subdue the premeditated win. The teen in complete white played around with the defense, dribbling the ball left to right with an air of amusement. The player wearing an orange uniform grasped the chance, leaping forward to divert the ball's rotation.

"Five seconds!" the referee warned.

Foreseeing the action, the attractive teen stepped aside with one quick movement, leaving his opponent tripping on the ground. "Whoops," he said. He jumped up and flicked the ball with a graceful motion, sending it sailing into the basket. The goal quivered in reaction, the ropes swishing slightly as the ball descended.

"And Millefiore wins!"

A congratulatory roar of excitement and delight resounded in the auditorium. The losing team clapped hands with the leading group, congratulating them on their win. Unfortunately for the captain of the team, he never got the chance to applaud the white-haired ace for his spectacular last-minute shot. Instead the star was lost in a crowd of infatuated girls and admiring boys, his lips curled in a mesmerizing smile.

"Byakuran-sama," squealed a pretty brunette, "that last shot was so cool!"

"It's not that big of a deal," he replied, winking. The girl blushed a deep red, opening her mouth to reply but getting instantly shoved aside by a long-haired girl flaunting her cheerleader outfit.

"Byakuran-sama," the blue-haired female twittered, stepping forward from the crowd, "the mobster Xanxus wants to see you. Although" – she flipped her hair at this – "in my opinion you shouldn't bother with the brute." She shot a superior look at the excited girls.

"Ahh, it's fine, Bluebell," Byakuran said, waving effortlessly. "Sorry, but I'll be off now," he told the group apologetically, resulting in wistful reactions from them.

"Hey, it's cool," a light-haired teen spoke up.

The auditorium disassembled, leaving the seats thoroughly abandoned within a minute's time. Byakuran headed out the gym to the northern section of the academy where clubrooms were stationed. An oaken label on a door in the center read: "Student Council." He turned the knob and stepped in quietly. The room had comfortable furniture, a velvet carpet and translucent glass windows behind a worktable. The back of a swiveling leather armchair faced the door, and a dark-haired man slowly turned around. His cold eyes coated the atmosphere with ice.

"Did you want something, Xanxus?" Byakuran asked with his usual smile in place.

Xanxus glared at him and crossed his legs on the counter. "Oi, bastard, think I don't know your shitty famiglia's been messing around with Varia's business in the northeast district?" If possible, his glower seemed to steepen in intensity.

Byakuran raised an eyebrow, leaning on the wall casually and opening his eyes. Clear, ice-blue orbs peered through fair eyelashes. "Is that so, Xanxus?" He sounded amused, but his eyes told otherwise.

"Damn right, Millefiore," the ruthless student council president sneered, glaring him down.

"Apparently the Varia had been trespassing Millefiore territory," Byakuran informed him, his smile returning, albeit a tone of eeriness hidden, "so we had to resort to a bit of, eh, retribution for the breach in conduct."

"Hmm…" Xanxus seemed to be lost in thought. A second later, his fist crashed into the tabletop, splaying ink everywhere and causing an indent in the wood. "I don't give a _damn_ about your trashy retribution! I want your dogs to return the file to Varia where it belongs!" He literally appeared to be breathing fire at this point; he had crunched a soda can into crippled metal.

"We are Mafiosi," Byakuran stated as if by saying that it would solve everything. He was playing with a black flash drive in his hand, his mouth in a smirk.

The dark-haired Varia leader growled in distaste, looking for a moment like a wild lion, his teeth bared to strike. It took a full second for him to calm his temperament, and when he finally settled down, his lips were back in a sneer. A vein throbbed. "Eheheh…" he chuckled suddenly and dangerously. "Ahahahahaha!" he burst out in laughter, slamming his fist on the desk again. Piles of paper floated into a heap on the floor.

Byakuran smirked. "It seems you might be plotting a Vongola riot here in _Giappone_, hm? I'll be looking forward to that, Xanxus_-chan,"_ he endeared, chuckling heartily before shutting the door on his way out.

* * *

_Snore_. He rubbed his eyes as he slept, turning on his side. "Mmm, I knew it, mom," he mumbled absently, "cookies…are always tasty…ehehe…" A loud crash sounded in his room, and he twitched uncomfortably, but continued to sleep. Seconds later, a small, polished boot came slamming into his stomach.

"_OW_!" he cried, sliding over his bed and landing in a sprawl on the bedroom floor. He clutched the abused part and groaned in pain, his eyes still tightly closed as if refusing to awaken.

"Wake up, baka-Tsuna!" chided a childish voice, although the threat was anything but childish.

"Geez, Reborn," Tsuna grumbled, rubbing the spot tiredly. He cracked an eye open, saw that the baby wasn't there, and flopped down on the ground in an attempt to snooze. He was about to drift off to dreamland when someone grabbed an armful of his hair. "Ow, ow, ow!" he squealed in pain, eyes reluctantly widening. A moment later, he was sent sprawling out his room on his butt with a new bruise on his back.

"Tsu-kun," Sawada Nana sang in a sing-song voice upon the sound of her son's shuffling, "breakfast is ready." Tsuna came from the stairs in his uniform, limping slightly. She didn't notice, but simply patted the seat warmly with a smile. "Today is Friday, so you'll be off tomorrow, right?"

Tsuna nodded, yawning. He cringed when he saw the little monster sauntering across the floor and leaping onto the chair. "Reborn!"

"Ciaossu, Tsuna," he greeted, taking a bite out of the toasted bread.

"You didn't have to hit me – _twice_ – this morning!" cried Tsuna. His mom had already gone back to the kitchen to prepare his lunch.

Reborn called for seconds before replying, "You'd never wake up if I didn't force you awake, right, dame-Tsuna?" The latter groaned in response, finishing his milk. "Anyway, Tsuna," the baby caught his attention, his expression ever so slightly differed, "I have a feeling that something will happen today."

Tsuna looked at Reborn. "Wut kind owf 'sumthing?'" he said, munching away.

The arcobaleno lowered his face under his hat, refusing to answer.

"Eh? Reborn?" The baby had jumped off the chair and made his way outside. Tsuna's mom called out from the kitchen, "Reborn-chan, are you going out early?" She received no answer.

Tsuna glanced at the clock, took a double-take, and shouted, "Waah! I'm going to be late!" He snatched his obento and slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, waving hurriedly at his mom while running out the door. "Five minutes left," he panted, wiping his forehead, "and even after Reborn woke me up twenty minutes early. Ack!" He stopped short, colliding into a tree and offering his face a red mark. "Ow, ow…" Several female students passing by giggled at the public display of stupidity. Tsuna flushed in embarrassment. _At least Kyoko-chan wasn't here to see it!_ The bell tower of his school finally appeared, making him sigh in both relief and hopelessness. Another boring day in school was about to begin, he thought as he climbed up the stairs.

"_Meow!_ _Meow-urk!_"

Tsuna looked around at the source of the strangling noise. School had just ended, and he was walking home with Reborn when he heard the cry.

"What's that sound?" he wondered.

Reborn, standing on the ledge of the bridge, pointed down at the river in response.

"E-e-eh?!" Tsuna's eyes popped out, staring at the struggling brown cat in the water. It looked worn out, its will to survive quickly dissipating. The cat was going to drown.

"Don't just stand there, baka-Tsuna. Go do something about it," instructed Reborn, and with a swift kick sent Tsuna sailing into the river.

"U-uwah!" A splash of water sounded under the bridge.

"Hm." Reborn smirked in satisfaction.

"Argh! S-save me!" Tsuna sputtered, accidentally swallowing in a puddle of water. His matted bangs obscured his view, and he swatted them away frantically. He could see the cat in front of him slowly start to sink; its "meows" fading. He was going to drown along with it!

"Use your dying will to live to save both of your lives," Reborn said, holding the transformed Leon-gun and aiming it. Tsuna kept on flapping in the water trying to stay afloat, yelling incoherent words. The arcobaleno triggered the bullet, and a lightning-paced object split through air, imbedding itself in the forehead of the blubbering brunet. A fiery flame suddenly flashed on the spot, emitting a bright light in the watery reflection. Tsuna, calm and collected, swam towards the drowning cat, picking it up by the arms and holding it above water. He headed to the riverbank with the setting sun casting an orange radiance on his form, making him seem oddly angelic. Tsuna placed the cat on a padded surface softly. Reborn jogged across the grassy field towards them, carrying with him a first aid kit.

"How's the circumstance?" inquired Tsuna, his Hyper Mode still active. He was dripping water, the droplets dribbling down his cheek.

"It seems to be alive," Reborn confirmed, slapping a Band-Aid on its forehead. The feline mewled despite its shallow breathing.

The flame dispersed, and Tsuna blinked. He looked at the live cat and breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. "Thank god it's all right now!"

Reborn's lips curled into a smile. "Once again you prove to be worthy of being Vongola Decimo."

"U-uh, um," Tsuna stuttered ghastly, perplexed. "R-Reborn! This has nothing to do with it! And I absolutely, definitely, most ultimately refuse to have anything to do with the mafia!"

The arcobaleno just smirked, his expression shrouded under his hat.

"Reborn!"

In the end Tsuna dropped the cat off at the lost and found police center. A telephone call was made to his house later in the day with the news that the owner had retrieved his lost cat. Tsuna was so relieved by this information that he scored in Reborn's review quiz. This, unfortunately, convinced the arcobaleno that his teaching was finally taking an effective turn, thus loading upon his student with more incomprehensible questions.

* * *

The bowling alley was bustling with teens as usual, its popularity with high school-ers unfathomable. Neon signs aboard the arcade attracted more couples, and a group of girls and three irresistable boys neared the revolving doors. The females all wore stylish dresses and knee-high boots with perfect hair and make-up done. One of the guys was a blond whose hair covered his eyes, wearing a gold crown and a self-righteous smirk. His trench coat fluttered about and the bells tied to his silver belt jingled mysteriously. Alongside a tall, white-haired male strode a teen with mismatched eyes. He had an aura of superiority, and the back of his head had strands of spiky blue hair. He had on a black turtleneck and boot-cut pocket jeans. The center of the attractive group was Byakuran. His eyes were smiling casually, and there were three strange blue stripes under his eye. He wore a sleek, white collar shirt with the top buttons unbuttoned and casual pants to match.

"U-um, B-Bel-sama," a pale girl stuttered, her face pink, "d-do you want t-to be m-m-my partner in the – "

"Shi shi shi," the blond snickered, having apparently paid no attention to the girl. He was twirling a green bowling ball with the tip of his index finger. "Eight points out of eight," he said, tilting his head at his two male companions as if daring an objection.

"Go ahead, _Prince_ Bel," Byakuran said amusingly, straddling a spectator's chair comfortably. The other teen sitting on the tabletop merely smirked in response.

Bel made a noise as if he was stifling laughter, giving the ball a swift push down the alley. It knocked out all eight bowling pins, resulting in a perfect score for the first round. The girls around him ogled and congratulated him, although all of them seemed to be within a two-meter distance away.

"Of course. I'm born with the blood of royalty after all," Bell stated, smirking with his eyes still hidden. A melodic ringtone rang amongst the crowd, and Byakuran excused himself. A path was made between the group, admitting him through. He wound up outside the building, standing under the shade of a cherryblossom tree. There was a river coursing through the city and a suspending bridge above it. Byakuran answered his _Haptic_ cellphone.

"Hel - " he was cut off abruptly.

"Byakuran-san," a swift voice announced. Noises of busy keyboard tapping ensued in the background.

"Ah," he said, his mood lifting brightly. "Sho-chan! How's the operation going?" As he stood there, he heard an ongoing conversation occuring from the bridge. A petite, spiky-haired brunet wearing a school uniform seemed to be talking to himself. Byakuran raised an eyebrow.

"It's coming along fine," the other side replied. "Anyway, it seems as if the data extracted from Varia approve to be proven true."

"Hm?" He inspected the student critically and saw, most interestingly, a baby wearing a fedora sauntering beside him on the railing. The infant seemed to be pointing at something.

"We managed to crack the code," the voice came back informingly, "it seems as if a certain Vongola-to-be is resident in Japan."

A _splash!_ sounded in the river, and strangled cries escaped. The strange baby was aiming something in his hand at somewhere below. A fiery spect of fire flared up in the river, and Byakuran walked several feet closer to peer at the river.

"Sho-chan, I'll contact you later. Until then, keep working hard," he encouraged merrily, pushing the disconnect tab. The brunet had emerged onto the riverbank with a wet cat, an orange flame on his forehead apparent. He looked much calmer and intuitive, his eyes an interesting shade of caramel. He was sitting on the grass field conversing with the baby.

"How interesting..." murmured Byakuran, his light blue eyes glinting. Coming to Japan was the right thing to do after all, he thought, returning to the arcade in much better spirit than before. The group was alarmed by his outward show of enlightenment, although they hid it well.

* * *

**Author's End Note:** And so action begins next chapter~


	2. H A T E U

**Author's Note:** The -long awaited- second chapter has come, delivered much graciously so by me to you all. You guys are going to have a field day with this one. It's freakin' 15 pages long! 6,184 words! _*le gasp*_ And you'll prolly get all up on me for going 6927 first instead of 10027_ (cough cough that slipped out seriously)_

_**"H.A.T.E.U" **~ Mariah Carey_

_

* * *

_

_Love Makes War_

Chapter 2

_Sigh_. Tsuna looked up at the looming clouds with a worried expression, his arms hugging the back of his head. The air felt damp and weary, a sure sign of a potential saturate of rain. In his haste to be in school on time, he had forgotten to bring his umbrella along. He'd brace the consequence later, but for right now, he had something else to worry about. The matter concerned his home tutor very much so, accumulated from the fact that Reborn hadn't been on speaking term for the whole morning. He had delivered a particularly painful kick to his head at six thirty A.M, a half hour ahead of schedule, and the only words the arcobaleno spoke to him later were, "Your shoelaces are loose, baka-Tsuna."

The brunet grimaced and stared at his shoes. If Reborn didn't warn him ahead of time, most likely Tsuna would be in a very uncomfortable position headfirst on the ground. His head still ached from the abuse earlier in the day, but he found himself wondering where the infant hitman would be at this time. It was exactly twelve in the afternoon, and Tsuna was sitting on the rooftop for lunch period. A breeze fluttered past as he prodded his lunchbox open, ruffling his hair as it went. It was a rather calm and normal day in school. There hadn't been all that much trouble yet; the most were his tripping over someone's foot and receiving a one digit test score in History. He hoped nothing too drastic and overbearing would change this relatively normal day in a chapter of his daily life.

Apparently he was wrong on both accounts. A _clink!_ and _clang!_ sounded behind him near the door leading to the rooftop. Tsuna wondered who it could possibly be, turning around in his seat to look at the intruder. All of a sudden he felt that he couldn't have had been any unluckier than he already was. Standing in the doorway was the school's most dangerous student, the Disciplinary Committee chairman, Hibari Kyouya. He was yawning, his sharp eyes lazily sweeping over the rooftop. They landed on a dumbfounded and chilled-to-the-bone Sawada Tsunayoshi who was halfway through putting a rolled sushi into his mouth. Instead of being eaten, the sushi dropped into the food container with a plop.

"E-e-eek! H-H-H-Hi-b-bar-r-i-s-san!" Tsuna stuttered uncontrollably, inching backward. "W-why a-a-are you h-here? W-w-wait, I mean, what are y-you d-do-i-ing here?" The only thought running through his mind was that he was in _deep shit_, and there was no way out.

The dark-haired committee member glared at the pathetic brunet in distaste. He was having a very unsettling day, in which the start of it all was the bunch of trash littering around him at the bus-stop. They were lucky that his mood was slightly perked than usual; else they'd all be lying in the honorable Namimori cemetery by now. On top of the annoying rowdiness of the meaningless crowding, he spotted a delinquent scribbling on the school wall with neon graffiti. When he was through, he made a last check on the battered body to ensure that trash would remain trash. And now he was facing a wimpy brunet invading his personal rooftop. Certainly that was his last straw. Hibari steadied himself into a fighting stance, readying his tonfas with an icy glint in his black eyes.

"EEEEK!" Tsuna screeched, crawling back so rapidly that he hit the railing before he noticed. He gripped the metal rods as tightly as if he was holding on for dear life. He didn't think he did anything particularly wrong to offend the Death God. Maybe it was his mere existence itself that irked the demon so? Anyhow, it was no use lamenting the situation. He needed an escape route!

"Any last words, herbivore?" demanded Hibari, swishing his arm and letting loose a dangling, spiked chain.

"H-HIIYAH! I'm so sorry, Hibari-san!" Tsuna blabbered about uselessly, shaking his head left and right promptly as if to justify his innocence. Where was Reborn at a time like this?!

"If that is all…" He took a step forward with every ounce of intimidation.

Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut, bracing the onslaught of evil intentions.

"A-Ackkkkk!" The strangled scream reverberated throughout the building.

The next moment he opened his eyes, he recognized the white interior of the nurse room. How many times had he been here, exactly? Tsuna rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to sit up. A reactive, stinging pain was exacted from the movement, and he flopped back down on the bed with an "ow!" He noticed that he was bandaged from head to waist.

"Oh man…I'm wiped out," he whined, sighing profusely. The digital clock next to the bed read 2:03 P.M. So he was knocked out for two hours. It was a wonder they didn't send him home already because of these injuries. A bustling noise introduced the entrance of the school nurse. She was a middle-aged lady with pitying eyes.

"Are you doing fine, dear?" she asked worriedly as she refilled his cup of water.

"Ahaha…yeah, I guess."

"I heard from the principal that you tripped over the stairs on the fourth floor and ended up with these terrible injuries," she said with an exhausted sigh.

Tsuna gaped, taking in this piece of news with difficulty, and stared at her as if she were mad.

"Anyway, I will need to sign you permission so that you can leave early," the nurse got up from the chair and left in search of a notepad. She scribbled some words, ripped the paper, and handed it to him. "If you feel you can walk, you may head along now."

Tsuna nodded, took the note and left the school buildings. Passerby stared at his bandaged body with apprehension, thinking along the lines like maybe he should stay in the hospital a bit longer. When he returned home, he dropped his schoolbag on the floor and trudged up the stairs to his bedroom. He plopped on the mattress with a dramatic sigh, closing his eyes sleepily.

"Tsuna," a childish voice chirped.

"Mmf…" he groaned, turning on his side and refusing to answer.

"Tsuna, get up. Sasagawa Kyoko is at the door."

Tsuna sat up so fast his sleepiness melted into nothingness. He glanced hurriedly left and right, looking panic-stricken. "W-W-W-Wh_attt_??" All he saw was the top of a fedora-wearing baby.

"Took you long enough," the infant said, hopping onto the bed.

"H-Huh? Where's Kyoko-chan?" Tsuna looked about confusedly but excitedly.

Reborn made an unintelligible expression which looked somewhere between a mixture of amusement and pity. The diaphanous green chameleon perched on his hat paced back and forth. "Just think, idiot. What would Sasagawa come all the way to your house for anyway? Assuming she knows you're alive?"

Tsuna blinked. He then realized that Reborn was not only insulting him, but also pointing out the obvious fact that Kyoko had no idea who he was and whether he was alive at all. "R-Reborn!" he exclaimed, flushing. Great. On top of being physically disabled, he couldn't even fantasize properly without that grueling fact intervening.

"Heh." The home tutor smirked. "But, Tsuna, I've found a cure to this problem."

The brunet looked up from his sulking and stared at the toddler confusedly. "Cure? Problem?"

Reborn nodded, countering Tsuna's stare with his own puddle of black. "In fact, the cure came through the mail yesterday night."

Tsuna recalled yesterday, pondering what the baby was getting at. He remembered Reborn saying something interesting had happened, and he needed to be excused from dinner. The home tutor said something like, "I also have things to do, places to go, and people to see, y'know? _Addio_, Tsuna." The brunet furrowed his eyebrows thoughtfully. Reborn was definitely acting strange yesterday night.

"What do you mean, something came from the mail?" asked Tsuna. To this, the arcobaleno fished out an enclosed envelope from his small pocket. He parted the mail and extracted an old-fashioned scroll with illegible scrawls over the paper. To Tsuna's immense surprise, there was a passive dying will flame flaring from the top of the scroll. "H-Hey, that's…!"

"Yes, Tsuna, a dying will flame. This is an official order from Vongola Nove, or the Ninth generation boss of Vongola," explained Reborn lucidly. "The Ninth boss requests you to transfer from your current high school to another, more suitable to that of Vongola status. The new school where you will be enrolled in is Millefiore Academy, an elite high school in Japan. You are expected to be attending the Academy within a week's worth of preparation. That is plenty of time to pack and be ready for the transfer. As the future Vongola Decimo, you have been given a mission in which you must accomplish, but that of which you will receive in due time."

Tsuna met the statement with silence. He couldn't comprehend – no, he didn't want to comprehend the violating message. They couldn't just up and switch him without his consent to another school, right? _Right_? That was totally a violation of human rights! It was inhumane! Insane! He refused to believe that he would be forced to leave Namimori in a week. "Aarghhhhh!" he cried, scratching his head in distress. "I don't believe it! I'm not leaving Namimori! Definitely not! Not even if you force me to!"

Reborn looked up at him through a pool of sad, black orbs. "Even if you say that, Tsuna, this is Ninth's order. We can't defy it no matter how much we want to."

"Ack! What do you mean? I don't have to follow it through since I'm not involved with the mafia!" retorted Tsuna, who had gone a bit pale, still shaking his head wildly.

Reborn sighed, looking very much like he would've preferred to teach the stubborn brunet through some forms of violence. He resisted the urge greatly instead. "Tsuna, it's about time you stop – "

He was interjected rudely by a cry from the Vongola heir. Tsuna had jumped off the bed, covering his ears as if to ignore everything that was said. "Uwahhh! I don't want to hear!" he exclaimed, stumbling his way out the room. Reborn looked at the retreating back with an air of annoyance.

"Baka-Tsuna…"

He paced back and forth in the living room, completely disregarding the injuries caused by the infamous Disciplinary Committee chairman. Tsuna gasped in pain as the first round of aching muscles sent him toppling onto a sofa.

"O-Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" He winced as his stomach signaled more distraught stinginess. Reborn was heard hopping down the staircase. Tsuna didn't feel like dealing with more pressure at the moment…especially when the left side of his ribs throbbed excruciatingly. He groaned.

"I assume these were inflicted by Hibari Kyouya," inspected the arcobaleno with satisfaction.

"D-Don't be impressed by that, Reborn, when I'm suffering – ACK! Ow, that hurts…" whined Tsuna while rubbing his back.

"What do you gain from saying in Namimori High, Tsuna?" Reborn inquired, leaping onto Tsuna's leg. They were face-to-face now, an unavoidable confrontation.

"U-um…I…" trailed off Tsuna. He didn't want to admit it, that the only reason he was staying was because of –

"Sasagawa Kyoko, right?"

Tsuna yelped, blushing. Reborn got it on the first try! "W-Well, I-I m-mean, it's not only her, u-um, I also, uh, miss…miss…" He paled. There was no way he was going to convince Reborn to let him stay in Namimori!

The toddler smirked. "You see, Tsuna? Moving to a new school where no one knows of the pathetic dame-Tsuna can be a perfect way to start high school life. You must have dreamed of it, right? The day when no one will recognize you as a failure, and to just let you live a happy, care-free life. Even you, who are always quick on the escape, must have at least hoped for that." Reborn was staring into Tsuna's caramel eyes with expectancy.

"B-But, you can't just expect me to suddenly adapt to a new school!"

"Have you not been listening?" Reborn chided with a smack across his student's head.

"Ow! Stop that! It's not like I'm not already beaten up enough already!" complained Tsuna, rubbing his sore head with a pained expression.

"Anyway, I'll put you on tight schedule," Reborn called to order with a swift change in outfit. He was wearing a bachelor's degree graduation hat and a professional teaching robe. Tsuna gaped at his disguise with bulging eyes. "You have one day to mope about, which is today only. Two days are spent on packing for Millefiore Academy. This makes Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday taken. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be spent on grueling you into a good mind and body for Millefiore professional courses attended to by Professor Borin. You are dismissed," Reborn shooed him off with a wave of his 'wand.'

"All right, all right," Tsuna grumbled, heading upstairs peevishly.

"Heh." Once left alone, Reborn returned into his regular black suit. "Now…it seems I shall have to make a call to Headquarters."

Tsuna lay on the floor on his front, cupping his face with both hands. He thought miserably of how his first day at the Academy would conclude. Upon his predictions, seventy percent seemed to result in him getting sacked by bullies, tripping over surprising feet attacks, and forgetting his notebook in his locker. _Not a very good start_, he thought nervously. Even if his school life at Namimori wasn't the spring of youth, transferring to another one would definitely make it worse. Reborn also mentioned that Milli – Milliefield, or whatever it was, Academy was an elite high school. Elite…? He pondered at the word. "Argh, no way!" he exclaimed agonizingly. Elite meant high-standard, high-standard meant strict teachers, strict teachers gave lectures and mountains of homework, and elite schools included stuck-up rich kids. There was no way he could live through that!

Tap. Tap.

"You'll begin packing tomorrow. After today, you won't be given any time to mourn over your internal conflicts," said Reborn pointedly. Tsuna sighed apprehensively.

"I know, Reborn…but…" he trailed off, his cheeks and ears reddening.

"Sasagawa Kyoko again?" the baby said.

"Ye - , I mean, n-no!" Tsuna denied, his face emitting steam.

"Tsuna, your relationship with Sasagawa is non-existent. Your crush is merely an understatement of the mind of unresolved teenage issues; therefore it is best to be handled as impotent thus negligible," Reborn stated matter-of-factly. His gaze lacked any sort of emotion.

The brunet stared at him in bemusement, capable of only understanding the gist of the perplex equation.

"There's a high possibility that you will soon learn to appreciate other women besides your middle to high school crush," the infant taught as if he was a love therapist.

Tsuna gawked, baffled. His face was a full-blown tomato red. It didn't feel right coming from a one-foot-tall toddler. Besides, who and what else could compare to the angelic smile of his angel, Kyoko-chan?

"Go take a shower, baka-Tsuna."

The next few days were intent on preparing for Millefiore Academy, as the elite high expected more from its student body. His schoolbag was overloaded with supplies and notebooks, along with books for the first semester. It suddenly felt ten times heavier than usual. Reborn embedded in his brain with new materials and complicated graphs from geometry, all of which left Tsuna even more confounded. He couldn't find himself concentrating during the home lessons, occasionally setting him in danger from the arcobaleno's outrageous attempts to redirect his attention (all of his endeavors included bombs, guns, violence, and etc). He also wasn't given a chance to rest, interjected by the baby that he had little time to waste on laying around doing nothing. In the blink of an eye, Tsuna found himself nervously treading the steps downstairs in the morning after an uneventful sleep.

Reborn was already waiting, sitting comfortably in his chair in the dining room. He looked up at the approaching footsteps and shot a wry smirk. "You look more and more like a future mafia boss with each and every passing day." Tsuna blanched at his words, glaring at the arcobaleno and muttering controversies as he took his seat. A squeal erupted from behind them.

"Oh my, Tsu-kun! You're really starting to grow up!" his mom said excitedly, pulling her son up and patting his uniform everywhere that stood out. Tsuna's uniform consisted of satin, white rose-buttoned suit with black designs and matching pants. A beige tie and dark shirt were seen underneath the v-shaped uppercut. A gold emblem entitled _Millefiore Academy_ with an engraved picture of a Roman coliseum was pinned to the chest. The uniform was purchased with the smallest size possible. "When I read the mail, I was so surprised and excited that I nearly cried! Tsu-kun," she said breathlessly, staring at him with passionate, motherly eyes, "I didn't think that you would achieve this much, and I was so worried about you the past few years. But it doesn't seem as if this is a problem anymore, right, Tsu-kun?" She offered him a bright smile that left him at a loss of words. "I do wonder who paid for the tuition, though…" she wondered as she walked absentmindedly into the kitchen.

Tsuna gaped at his mom, his eyes the size of saucers. She was so thrilled with his entrance into Millefiore Academy! She couldn't possibly have thought that he got in with his horrible test scores, right? _Right?_ His uniform was sent through the mail two days ago, wrapped up in expensive paper. He couldn't even bare to look at the price tag. The order, strangely enough, was from Italy. Reborn explained that the Ninth generation boss attended to all his education bills, and that there would be no problems for Tsuna once he settled in. This left the brunet contemplating whatever to be grateful for the Ninth's generosity, or sulky that he was leaving Namimori. He couldn't come up with a definite answer, but resolved to play at what life had so misfortunately thrown at him.

"Well then, we'll be going, mama," Reborn chipped.

"All right. Be careful on your way, Reborn-chan, Tsu-kun!" her voice called out.

"As I thought, Reborn," Tsuna began shakily when they exited the front door, "I can't do this! Transferring to another school and introducing yourself is scary!"

"Don't sound so pathetic, dame-Tsuna. Look over there," Reborn instructed, pointing to the left of the block. "Someone's come to escort you." A sleek and black BMV was parked alongside the sidewalk, the windows dark tinted and the metal glittering under the sun. The wheels seemed to be especially cleaned. The driver's car door opened and a teenager wearing a black suit emerged from the Mercedes-Benz. He had chin-length light brown hair and warm, ocean blue eyes along with a welcoming smile.

"Good day, Sawada-dono!" he greeted, bowing at the waist. Tsuna gawked at the procedure, stuttering.

"U-um, s-stop! I mean, you don't need to do that," Tsuna stammered, his hands outstretched and waving them wildly at an attempt to halt the endearment. _'Dono?'_ _He's calling me master?!_

"This is Basil, an agent under the external advisor from the Vongola family," introduced Reborn, appearing by his side magically.

"Reborn!" said Tsuna, looking down at him questioningly.

"Good day to you too, Reborn-dono!" he said, bowing again.

"Ciaossu, Basil."

"I hath cometh to escort Sawada-san to his new school," explained the newcomer with a smile. Tsuna stared at him with his mouth hanging open.

_Just who uses this type of ancient language in modern day Japan?_ Apparently he knew someone who fit into that category. Geez, why were people in the mafia so _strange_?

"You heard him, Tsuna," Reborn's commanding voice broke his train of thought. "Now get going," he finished crudely, hopping in into the backseat. Tsuna followed his tutor nervously.

"U-uh," Tsuna spoke up when he settled in his leather car seat, "d-do you have a license, Basil-kun?"

"Aye, my Lord."

Tsuna cringed at the royalty usage. "U-um, can I ask you something, Basil-kun?"

"Yes, Sawada-dono?"

"Why do you insist on – A-ACKKKKKK, _Basil-kun!_" Tsuna's eyes bulged as he was thrown back into his seat when the car swerved dangerously to the right lane. An expensive blue vehicle came hurtling into the BMV's previous position.

"_Maledizione!" _Basil abruptly broke off in curses, his eyes narrowing as he sped up. The opposing car dashed farther, causing a steam of gas to emit from its engines. The agent of Vongola accelerated into greater speed, cutting across the yellow stoplight hazardously.

"W-woah! Basil-kun, WE'RE GOING TO CRASHLAND!" screamed Tsuna, whose eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Reborn was holding onto Leon's stretchable limbs as it attached itself onto the ceiling.

"O-oh, sorry, Sawada-dono," apologized Basil contritely over the whirring engines. Tsuna felt the car's momentum decreasing, and slowly cracked his eyes open. He sighed in relief when he saw the vehicle moving at thirty-five miles per hour. "Prithee forgive me for causing you harm, Sawada-san!" he poured out apologetically, his eyes glancing worriedly at the rearview.

"I-it's fine, Basil-kun," Tsuna breathed, wiping the sweat on his forehead. "Just please drive more carefully." He chuckled nervously, recalling the look of fiery outrage in Basil's normally calm eyes. He saw the back of the brunet's head nod in agreement.

_Phew! I thought we were done for!_ Tsuna thought, fanning himself with his hand. He looked over at Reborn and found an incredulous sight – the arcobaleno was napping comfortably with his body wrapped in a luminescent green cocoon, his head the only part visible. Leon's lizard eyes were located near Reborn's chest. He must've had slept through the entire trip, including the haywire driving. Well, it was to be expected, since it was Reborn after all. Tsuna's lock clicked, and he looked out the tinted window to spot Basil's face peering through. He smiled weakly as the door opened.

"Ah, Reborn-dono is taking a nap?"

"Yeah, that guy can live through any situation dead or alive," Tsuna muttered to himself.

"Hm?"

"E-eh, nothing!"

"Did you say something, dame-Tsuna?"

"I already said – "Tsuna's ears perked. "…Reborn! You're awake?"

"Just woke up, as a matter of fact," the infant answered with a slight yawn. Leon was back on his fedora. "Are we here at Millefiore?"

"Aye, Reborn-dono. The Academy is located in a suburban area, as expected of the Millefiore family," explained Basil as he led the group through large single houses. The walls were all white-washed and the houses expensive estates. No sound was heard but the twittering of birds. Established at the center of the location loomed an entirely white building, the school extending over acres of land. A broad lettering over the entrance arch admitted itself to be _Millefiore Academy_. There were parking lanes in the front yard, and colorful bundles of flowerbeds encircled the area. A fountain of clear water stood at the centre, spurted by two enticing angels in white. Several other buildings emerged from behind the admittance edifice.

Tsuna sweated, following Basil and Reborn as they strode up the staircase. His heartbeat quickened several beats, and he wondered vaguely whether he should escape while he had the chance. Reborn caught on sure enough, and the tip of a gun from under his suit peeked out conspicuously, as if daring his student. Tsuna gulped, stumbling on the steps. _He's pointing that dangerous thing at me!_ The arcobaleno smirked. They were at the wide entrance doors, the panels sliding horizontally to allow them through. Inside were the registration office, several comfortable sofas and coffee desktops with closed laptops, and grand portraits of infamous Mafiosi. The entrance room looked like a company headquarters, the busy workers wearing headsets and spouting orders, tapping away at the keyboards.

"I beg your pardon, _signorina,_" Basil spoke charmingly to the receptionist. The woman, somewhere in her mid-twenties, was reading a _Cosmo_ magazine. She tore her eyes away from the page to look at the brunet, and immediately sported interest.

"Yes, _signor?_" she said.

"There is a new transfer student under the name Sawada Tsunayoshi-san, and he is listed to attend classes today. Would'st thou kindly present him his schedule?"

The lady brushed off his aged language with a nod. She began entering digits into the computer, and then procured a printed data from the fax machine. "Are you Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun?" she asked Basil.

"Ah, you're mistaken," he replied with a smile, gesturing at the shorter boy next to him, "He is Sawada-san." The receptionist nodded, handing the schedule over. Tsuna looked at the colored blocks, noticing that his first period was Algebra I. He sighed. What a way to start the day.

"Sawada-kun should head to his first period as soon as possible, as there is only half an hour left of class," the woman said, popping a strawberry-scented gum.

"U-uh, okay," said Tsuna unsurely, looking at Basil.

Three minutes later, Tsuna and Reborn were climbing up the unending, spiraling staircase to the third floor. The brunet was gasping for breath, clinging onto the railing desperately. "Arghh, I can't take it anymore!" he panted. "This is worse than Namimori!"

"Hm. It seems you need more endurance training, baka-Tsuna," Reborn hinted with an evil glint.

"W-what? W-w-w-wait, hold on! I can take this!" He sprinted up the last few steps determinedly with new bouts of speed. He collapsed on the wall, panting as he supported himself with his hands on his knees. "I-I did it! I made it to the third floor!" he cried in amazement.

"Now, get to class." Reborn was making his way down the hallway without a backward glance. _Ack! He's so cold,_ thought Tsuna as he trudged behind him. They stopped at room number 306, the door closed and the opaque glass window sporting an unclear image. Someone was coming towards the door, turning the doorknob and making a clicking noise.

"Ah, is this the transfer student, Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun?" spoke the teacher. He was dark-haired, wearing glasses, and looked about forty.

"Y-es. Is this Algebra I?" Tsuna asked, peering into the classroom. He gulped as twenty-three pairs of eyes stared back. He hurriedly retrieved from the room.

"Yes, and this is…" The teacher stared down at the baby in astonishment. "Is this perhaps the critically acclaimed best hitman of the Vongola famiglia, Reborn-sama?" he exclaimed, crouching down to look eye-to-eye with him.

"Ciaossu, algebra instructor."

_He always greets in the same way! And how come the teacher knows about Reborn? No way! How could he know about him?!_ _And he said Vongola something!_ Tsuna thought hazily, staring at the two people exchanging words, his algebra teacher and his baby home tutor, Reborn. There were murmurs coming from the classroom. "Did Mr. Takayari say _Reborn-san_ from the Vongola?"

"No way, right?"

"I wanna' see!"

Tsuna couldn't believe his ears. He thought he was imagining those exclaims of excitement, but as the conversations escalated, he couldn't deny it any more.

"Then perhaps you are…" the teacher trailed off, staring at Tsuna with renewed interest, waiting for him to respond with an air of containment.

"U-um, a-ah, you're wro – "a kick in the shin caused him to bow over in pain. The algebra instructor didn't seem to notice as the baby took over.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, the new transfer student, is the Tenth boss of Vongola," Reborn stated, a tone of pride almost traceable. The teacher nearly glowed in excitement. "However, he still needs improvement to become a better, more suitable, Vongola Decimo. I hope Millefiore Academy will provide the necessities."

"O-of course, Reborn-sama! We will do our best to improve his capabilities!" he promised eagerly, ushering Tsuna into the classroom. "You will stay as well, sir?" he asked Reborn.

"I couldn't observe my student in his previous school, but I have permission from the headmaster of Millefiore Academy to examine his classes," replied the arcobaleno. As he entered the classroom, rowdy choruses of delight and admiration came into focus. "Ciaossu," Reborn greeted the students, waving his teeny arm.

"Wow," hushed voices whispered. "I can't believe the best hitman is here, in Algebra I third track!"

"Does that mean the transfer student is someone important as well?"

"He seems a bit…weak…"

"The hitman is a baby?"

"Of course! He's one of the arcobalenos, the most powerful infants in the world, idiot!"

"Calm down, everyone!" the teacher's voice boomed. Silence ensued, and eyes stared expectantly. Tsuna glanced nervously left and right, wondering what to do. "As you can see, we have a new student," he gestured at the brunet. "He is Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun. Please treat him with respect. We also have a guest with us today, the famous arcobaleno hitman, Reborn-sama!" he exclaimed, clapping politely. The class erupted in claps and whoops.

"Hey, Mr. Takayari, which family does the new guy belonged to?" a daring voice demanded from the back. Murmurs followed his question.

"That – well, you don't need to know an – "he was interjected by Reborn's raised hand. The teacher looked imploringly at the hitman.

"I am merely a spectator," began Reborn, his tone commanding attention, "but I have a job to be the home tutor of this transfer student." He indicated at Tsuna, who flushed and stuttered. "He is the Tenth boss of the Vongola family, but he needs improvement from outer sources, so I will attend the classes with him. Please do continue your lesson, Mr. Takayari," he finished with a slight bow and a tip of his fedora to applaud from the students.

"Thank you, Reborn-sama." The teacher cleared his throat and urged Tsuna to take an empty seat. His classmates keenly offered the chair behind them whenever he passed by, resulting in the brunet being slow to decide. He had never been as thoroughly accepted by his classmates in Namimori as in Millefiore Academy. This made him break out in sweat, wondering if he chose to sit behind someone else, would the other person be upset and come beat him up?

"Just sit down, dame-Tsuna."

_E-eek! He called me that! I'm doomed! _

"Over here!" a voice whispered behind him. Tsuna turned around and saw a grinning, short-haired teen waving at him, sitting on a seat before the last on the right. He looked outgoing and trustworthy, so Tsuna headed towards the back in relief, despite the disappointed sighs issued. "Tsunayoshi-kun, right?" his classmate asked sociably.

"Just Tsuna is fine," he replied, smiling. _I'm not ridiculed yet!_

"Oh. I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, nice to meet you," he introduced, extending an outstretched hand. Tsuna shook the offered hand and grinned sheepishly. "Actually," Yamamoto whispered as the teacher turned his back to write an equation on the board, "I don't get all this stuff they're talking about. Something about a hitman, the black market, and stuff."

Tsuna's eyes widened. _H-he's…normal! Finally, a regular, normal person like me!_ He almost tore up in delight. "A-actually, me too, I don – "a chalk hit him in the back of his uniform. "Ow!" he cried, looking around for the abuser. Reborn was dressed up as a wizard, flourishing his wand innocently. "I thought you were going to be a spectator!"

The first period ended successfully enough, besides Reborn's moments of satisfaction when he got to mark his student with chalk for being negative. Tsuna thought it was better than picking-on-dame-Tsuna back in Namimori, where anyone and everyone would succeed in tripping him as a hobby. His classmates actually liked him, and Yamamoto-kun was like him too, a normal high schooler. He actually started to think that life in Millefiore Academy would not be so bad. Reborn somehow disappeared once the class was over, but Tsuna didn't think of worrying about him. He was, after all, invincible. With the help of his newly acquired friend, Yamamoto Takeshi, he wound up on the second floor for his next period, English. It was the worst subject for him, and he mused anxiously whether he would be less lucky this time around. Fortunately and unfortunately for him, he never made it to the second period. There was a group of chattering girls formed like a ring and blocking the entrance to his English class.

"U-uh, excuse me," Tsuna said, but his voice was lost among the consistently rising noise level. He didn't think he had the guts to part through the crowd, either.

"_KYAAAA, Mukuro-sama!_ You look dazzling as usual!" squealed a short redhead. She was jumping up and down, waving her arm frantically above the competing girls.

_Ack! Rabid fangirls are even harder to deal with!_ Tsuna thought, attempting to sneak around the females. Instead, his hand was snatched by a tough grip, dragging him deeper into the group where he sought to avoid. "EEEK!" he screeched as he was pulled in. There were murmurs of voices now. Tsuna gulped when he felt eyes on him, wondering what was going on. He realized he was pinned to the wall by someone's hand on his wrist, holding it above his head. His chocolate brown orbs peered upward into mismatched crimson and blue eyes. The gaze redirected at him was arrogant and laced with cold seduction. Tsuna swallowed a lump in his throat. _H-he has different eye colors! And he's also s-scary!_

"Oya, oya," the guy known as Mukuro inclined, "What do we have here?" His eyes didn't leave Tsuna's face, and an eyebrow was arched in amusement.

"U-uh, I have t-to get to c-class," he stammered, "eeping!" when Mukuro leaned in, and backed against the wall with wide eyes. The girls, surprisingly, giggled and suppressed their laughter with their hands over their lips. _No way, why are they just watching? I'm being bullied!_ Tsuna thought desperately, attempting to withdraw his hand. Unexpectedly his hand became loose, and he quickly tried to flee from the group.

"Kufufufu," a deep voice chuckled, and Tsuna found himself being twirled around.

"Eek!" He fell headfirst into someone, his vision glazed and his mind dizzy. An arm was holding him in a lax embrace. Gasps, giggles, and varied voices jumbled together. Tsuna rubbed his head groggily.

"As you can see, I'm a bit busy here…" Mukuro told the girls, leaning down and planting a sensual kiss on the brunet's forehead. That was the last straw for the audience, and several of them fainted dazedly on the floor, the others blushing red and rushing off to their classes.

Tsuna was gaping up at him in horror. _H-he k-k-k-issed m-me – w-w-wait no way! That's s-s-sexual h-h-harassm-ment!_ A voice whispered grudgingly in the back of his mind, _at least it wasn't on the lips._ Tsuna's mouth hanged open at the thought; pinkish tints appearing on his cheeks.

"Kufufufu," Mukuro snickered, his mouth in a smirk, "The bell already rang."

"Y-Y-You!" exclaimed Tsuna who was at a definite loss of words. The older teen merely flicked a strand of brown hair out of his eyes and leaned in. Tsuna inched backward.

"_Arrivederci, interessante matricola_," Mukuro murmured seductively, blowing air deliberately next to his ear and causing a tingling sensation to shiver down Tsuna's spine. Within a split second, the multi-color eyed upperclassman was gone, leaving the brunet gasping in surprise.

_What is going on?!_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Goddamn Basil for making me research Elizabethan language. :] Oh well, can't stay mad at him. =] Byakuran and Bel didn't appear in this chapter, but I promise you they will. Ohohohoho they will. Whoops spoil alert. =D

**Italian Translation** (I myself am learning Spanish, but oh well, it's not like I have a choice. My school doesn't even let me choose between French and Spanish when I took the entrance exam!):

_Maledizione_ – "Damn!"

_Addio_ – "Bye"

_Arrivederci_ – "Goodbye"

_Interessante_ – "Interesting"

_Matricola_ – "Freshman"


	3. Poker Face

**Author's Note:** For some whatever reason, I can't login on . Oh wait, now I can. Oh damn, now I can't -_- Now I can! This chapter took a bit more time because of my overwhelming laziness and my short attention span. Lulz All right, enjoy it all! _*threatens*_

=3

**Disclaimer:** LULS Three chapters in the story and I finally decide to put in my disclaimer. =3 I so own K.H.R, and the best thing is, _you know it_. *smirk* (gets gunned down by Akira Amano's hired assassins)

Not that I think she'd seriously employ some to kill me. But it's a possibility =D

"_**Poker Face" **__~ Lady Gaga_

* * *

_Love Makes War_

Chapter 3

"Kufufufu…" the mismatch-eyed teen chuckled, a delicate hand cupping his chin thoughtfully as he prodded his black pawn. He was sitting on a luxurious couch, his leg crossed over the other and entertaining himself with a chess game against his peer. His opponent, Byakuran, was sprawled comfortably on the leather sofa, his arm draping over the back of the chair. He held a bag of marshmallows in one hand, popping one in his mouth occasionally. Leaning idly on the arm of his settee was the self-righteous blond, eyeing the chessboard under his fringe of gold hair with amusement.

Byakuran glanced at his contemplating opponent with a sardonic smile, "Having a tough time, Rokudo-chan?" On the outside, he merely looked like a patient chess player, but contrary to his external outlook, he was purely speculating Mukuro's complete lack of interest in the game and his zoning out, brought to awareness by his constant tapping on his black pieces during his turn. The white-haired source of raging fanclubs munched on a marshmallow.

"Kufufu, nonsense," contradicted Mukuro suavely, avoiding checkmate by placing his queen in defense.

Bel snickered delightedly as he leaned in, drumming his fingers on the sofa, "Ushishishi, _busted~_."

Byakuran's smile barely wavered. Instead, he was one step ahead as usual, manipulating his white horse so that it was three squares away from the king. "Checkmate," he declared without an ounce of triumph or disparagement. Mukuro sighed, but his expression remained in that of mock discouragement. Bel, meanwhile, "tsk, tsk"ed in disappointment.

"Tch, I lost this bet. Marmon was right after all," the blond said, busily fishing in his uniform for ten bucks.

Byakuran was analyzing the chess player behind icy irises, noting how the teen seemed unperturbed by his loss. "You don't seem to be very in tune today, Mukuro," he queried good-naturedly, receiving an elegantly raised eyebrow in response.

"How wonderfully observant, Byakuran-kun," Mukuro replied with a smirk, his eerie red eye contrasting against his blue counterpart. "What makes you come to that conclusion?"

"It's only on a whim," answered the white-haired male, flashing a knowing smile. Obviously that wasn't the case, they both knew. Mukuro's eyes narrowed momentarily, reverting to a sly expression in a split second.

"What are you two going on about?" Bel demanded, flustered with his moneyless pockets. He looked around to find two pairs of eyes locking on the other, each with his own mocking display of affability. There were invisible bouts of electricity intertwining from the still teens, inducing the atmosphere with sparks. "Shishishi, what's – "

A polite knock on the door interrupted Bel, and he turned to face the intruder. Mukuro and Byakuran seemed to visibly relax, their gazes leaving the other and each finding a source of distraction. The intruder was a blue-haired girl who looked like Mukuro's twin – most likely she was his sibling – wearing the Millefiore female uniform, a white rose-buttoned skirt stopping short at the thighs and beige stockings. She had a black eye-patch covering her left eye. Her visible wide, cerulean eye blinked as she took in the gathered people. "Mukuro-sama…?"

"Chrome," Mukuro acknowledged, his narrowed gaze softening. The girl named Chrome glanced around, noticed the uninterested blond who was lingering beside Byakuran, and pinkish tints appeared on her cheeks.

"A-ah, u-um," she stuttered, her face downcast when her blush deepened in embarrassment, "my classmates are wondering if and when you will open the Host Club for this year." She peeked through her bangs when she thought they weren't paying attention to her.

"Hmm, the Host Club, eh?" Mukuro mused, looking inquiringly at Byakuran. Instead of hearing a reply, he saw the smiling male giving Bel rather suggestive looks, frequently referring to the bowed Chrome in his telepathy. The blond was staring at him questioningly, his head cocked to the side. "What do you think, Bya-ku-ran-chan?" enunciated Mukuro in a deadly tone, his face forced in a taut smile with a vein throbbing dangerously. Chrome stared at the exchange expectantly, her nails digging into her palm whenever the oblivious blond looked her way.

Byakuran redirected his attention on the glowering Mukuro with his habitual smile, "Maa, don't be so uptight, Mukuro-chan." The blue-haired teen merely smirked clandestinely in response. "Ah, the Host Club?" Byakuran deliberated, teasing a marshmallow with his fingers thoughtfully, leaning into the cushion. "Such a high demand from the ladies, won't you agree?"

Mukuro's slender fingers trailed over his irregular, crimson eye absentmindedly, and he chuckled mildly. "Kufufu, you give me too much credit, since," – his smirk waxed – "if I remember correctly, weren't you the main attraction last year, Host Club _President-kun_?"

He met this with a raised eyebrow, "My my, what flattery, Host Club _Strategist-san_."

Two pairs of piercing eyes compressed the lounge in bated breaths with the two spectators not finding a reason to intervene. After a few seconds of sizzling inert attentiveness Byakuran was the first to withdraw, settling back comfily into the sofa. He doubted anything productive would come out of their ritual competitive streak. "It's possible that we can reestablish the club within a week's time, but I will need consent from the student council."

Mukuro nodded in agreement, glancing at the blond. "That should be easy, right, Bel?"

The blond in question looked away guiltily, his skin paler than usual. "Ushishishi, maybe~." He made a weak attempt at his normal Cheshire grin, resulting in an unconvincing sneer. His companions frowned at his reaction.

"W-well, I'll be going then," spoke up Chrome. Mukuro dismissed her with a wave of his hand, and she exited the lobby.

Bel, grasping the chance to escape, strode nonchalantly over to the entrance doors as well. "Shishishi, the Prince also has to – "he cut off, standing stock still as cold eyes jabbed into his back mercilessly. He gulped, a bead of sweat trailing down his neck.

"So, Bel…"

Tsuna didn't know how he made it to his next period, but he managed it somehow. He was, naturally, late for the first five minutes of class, reflected more so by his attempt at stammering his excuse and delaying him. The English teacher had looked disapprovingly at him, but when he mentioned a red-and-blue-eyed upperclassman cornering him on the way to class, she dismissed Tsuna to his seat without a proper introduction to his peers. She didn't even question him for any more details regarding the matter, much to his relief. He sagged into his chair, mulling over the strange sexual harasser – he cringed at this thought – and in what form of humiliation the English teacher would be likely to enforce on him. He could feel curious stares on him and he tried to ignore them to no avail, his palms sweating in vain. Thankfully the teacher hadn't called on him for the first period, instead ushering them with perplexing notes on how to respond to a situation where you had to choose between one to the other.

"Repeat after me, class," instructed Miss Feather, tapping the Smart-board where there were examples of a bowl of grapes and red cherries. She began speaking in fluent English, or, as fluent as Tsuna could tell, "I-like-cherries-more-than-I-like-grapes." The students mumbled along. They spent fifteen minutes practicing other ways to respond, and just when Tsuna thought he lucked out after all, the teacher started to issue random students to recite the phrases. The brunet sweated, mortified.

_It's ai-raiku-che-rie-su-moru-sen-gu-rei-pu-su! A-argh! There's no way I'm going to get it right!_ Tsuna thought with disdain at himself, inwardly repining with his characteristically lack of forbearance while roaming over his notes. The English teacher roved over her list of students' names, halting upon the latest addition. She furrowed her eyes searchingly among the class, pausing on the brunet who was at that moment thinking that the world was hell bent on trying to dismantle the remaining of his pride. Tsuna knew his time was up, and he stared numbly at the teacher as she attempted to pronounce his name, his legs buckling under the desk.

"Hm, Sawada – "

_Ring. Ring._ The class was over. Tsuna's chest swelled in felicity, eyes wide in disbelief at his sudden twist of rare fortune. Miss Feather frowned vexingly as the students immediately exited the doorway, chattering brightly. Tsuna was nearly crying in gratitude in his head, stuffing the books in his backpack. _There's a Kami-sama after all!_ He stumbled past the legs of a chair and out to the hallway where it was brimming with people of various different heights and colored hair. He thought he saw someone with unnatural white hair amongst the students perceived even by his own shortness, but he brushed it off as a figment of his imagination. Tsuna had advisory on the same floor as English thankfully, so he pushed through the crowd to room 336. The door was already opened, and an intimidating and mature-looking man with dark circles under his eyes glanced sharply at him from behind a literature novel. He was wearing casual work attire, relative to that of a businessman's.

_T-this guy…for some reason_, Tsuna thought rationally as he edged into his homeroom, _doesn't really seem all that scary_. He tried a wan smile at the somewhat scowling man and received an interested smirk before he scanned in with his high school ID. "New student?" growled the spiky-haired man.

Tsuna nodded tentatively.

"All right. I'll be your advisory teacher for this year," he said, and ordered, "So go find a seat somewhere." Tsuna obliged, looking around, and saw to his horror and incredulity a roomful of leering upperclassmen. Many of them sneered devilishly at him, and the rest chattered by themselves. The brunet glanced nervously at the oblivious homeroom teacher who proved to be of no help as he was enraptured by his book.

"Hey, it's a freshie," a haughty senior who looked like the son of a successful Mafioso scoffed.

_I'm stuck with the upperclassmen?! HOW?_ He mentally dug a hole for himself in the recess of his mind, wondering whether he would be more likely to live a normal life in a death state. Ironic obviously, but right now he definitely would've had preferred to be buried alive if the daggers shooting at him right now were not already convincing enough to the first degree. Just as he found himself a seat in the very back like his first class with Yamamoto-kun, the closed homeroom door swung open. The bell signaling the start of class rang. Tsuna sat down and looked up to the front of the class. His eyes widened.

There were three foreign upperclassmen, and each of them seemed to be enveloped in an atypical aura. They were conversing with the advisory teacher, and with the presence of these three, the class had erupted in conversations at their entrance, the guys hooting and the girls giggling with blushing cheeks. A feline blond was on the right of the semicircle, a strange sort of crown glinting around his hair, and he had on a scheming grin. He snickered as the teacher's vein throbbed in annoyance when he poked the deadly crease between his glowering eyes. Tsuna gaped as he noticed the blue-haired harasser from before – he looked a bit different because of the distance. Alongside the student was a tall, white-haired male who was smiling genially, watching as the crown-wearing upperclassman sang disapproving comments to the aggravated teacher. His fair eyelashes flickered, and freezing misty-blue irises appeared, roaming across the classroom and abruptly landing on Tsuna's own, unsuspecting chocolate orbs. Suddenly the noise level, the prattling, the laughing, and the ticking of time froze. It was just hot and cold, icy but warm, vanilla into chocolate, black and white, but blue and brown. It was a confusing swirl of emotions enveloped in a timeless time.

There it was – that smile again. But Tsuna saw something else writhing underneath the flimsy screen, and it flitted in those crystal clear eyes. It was a dangerous something. And unexpectedly those eyes were cornering him in the back of the room with the smile still there. In fact, the white-haired foreigner was leaning on his table casually, obstructing the hissing girls' views. The grin was even brighter close up.

_Huh?_

"Are you a transfer student?" he asked politely, his face unwavering, if in fact alleviating in spirit.

Tsuna gulped tersely. "A-ah, yeah."

_That's right. _

"_Byakuran-sama_!" a girl whined somewhere in front of Tsuna. He couldn't see who she was or what she looked like because the sempai was blocking his view. He wondered what dangerous situation he got wrapped up in now – some kind of situation that was triggering these inane thoughts intruding his mind.

"What's your name?" It was a conversational tone, and yet…

He blinked as a sudden jolt overcame him mentally.

_Ah. That's right. It's what you would call…_

"S-Sawada Tsunayoshi," he replied with a sheepish grin, his fingers tugging the desk. "You're um, Byakuran-sempai?" It couldn't be. The expression was too realistic to be considered facetious, but –

…_a poker face, huh?_ His eyes widened, staring unintentionally into those calculating, tantalizing eyes. He drew back promptly as he realized that their foreheads were almost touching. "A-ah! Sorry, Byakuran-sempai! E-eheheh…" he trailed off embarrassedly. Those icy blues blinked, an instant sentiment, before being replaced by a smile.

"Don't worry about it, Tsunayoshi-kun," said Byakuran good-naturedly, sliding into the chair before his. Tsuna fidgeted despite the casualness of the sempai's action, fully aware of the stares derived from the other upperclassmen.

"Why is Byakuran-sama talking to him?" a snooty auburn-haired girl sneered.

"Is he a freshman?"

"Looks like it."

"He's like, I 'unno, kind of…"

"Kind of trashy?"

The girls giggled and the guys snickered. Tsuna stiffened and his cheeks emitted a light dust of pink. _They're – _

_SLAM!_

"HIIIIIIE!" Tsuna gasped, watching apprehensively as the normally even-tempered Byakuran-sempai dragged the offending junior up by the collar. His eyes were a clear, lightning blue, glaring stoically up at the choking red student. The class was in uproar by now, and the blond and Mukuro directed their attention from the teacher to the commotion.

"Ushishishi, Lancia-sensei, looks like we got a problem," Bel snickered, gripping his curved knives stealthily under his uniform. Mukuro eyed his white-haired peer with amusement, wondering what provoked the rarely irate Byakuran. Lancia sighed, snapping his unread novel shut and rubbed his temple with unrelieved stress. Teenage kids were sure troublesome, even more so when they were from the mafia, he thought, heading to the one-sided fight.

"Do you have something to say, Bolivia?" breathed Byakuran, his clutch unrelenting and his expression steady. The hulky student stared down at the Millefiore with fear written all over his face, his resistance disappearing. They were extraordinarily cold eyes, eyes that paralyzed his body and rendered him weak-kneed.

"N-no," he gasped wearily and experienced a violent shake from the weight on his collar.

Tsuna by now had gotten up in spite of his quivering legs, walking over to the fight with his hands outward in defense. "B-Byakuran-sempai, don't…" he trailed off as chilling eyes swept over him. And suddenly they were gone, replaced by a warm smile. Byakuran let go of the scoundrel roughly, dusting his hands as if cleansing himself of a filthy object. The offender landed on the floor with a painful thud, setting the room instantly full of chattering amongst the class with no one to lend him a hand. He seemed to be accursed when he went up against the popular Byakuran, making him socially unacceptable. This incident also claimed the new student, the wide-eyed brunet, someone of importance to the white-haired Millefiore heir, thus a kid with connections and therefore must be treated with respect.

"Sorry, did I scare you, Tsunayoshi-kun?" Byakuran asked, smiling down at him.

Tsuna winced, attempting to reply but getting cut off by the homeroom teacher.

"Explain, Byakuran," Lancia demanded as he toddled over, a deep frown evident on his craggy features. He crossed his arms as he studied the humiliated Bolivia and the relaxed Millefiore.

Byakuran began to respond, but he was interjected surprisingly by a flustered Tsuna.

"I-it's really all my fault, sensei," the brunet stammered, his head bowed and his face hidden under the mass of brown hair. Tsuna couldn't let Byakuran take the blame, not when he was the cause of the commotion – enforced by his own susceptibility. It was really his fault, not sempai's. He could feel hundreds of eyes peering at him curiously, making him uneasy to the pit of his stomach and he dared not to raise his face.

"You aren't involved, new student," the teacher growled impatiently, fixing his gaze on the two upperclassmen. "What did you do this time, Alonzo of the Bolivia famiglia?" The Bolivia in question mumbled something unintelligible, but very reminiscent of that a potent cuss word. Lancia scowled, snatching a pen clipped to his shirt pocket and scribbled on a yellow piece of paper. "You owe me detention this afternoon, three o' clock to three forty, got it?" When the one addressed didn't respond, Lancia slapped the paper threateningly unto his clenched palm with enough force that Alonzo's hand was pried open. The teacher smirked, satisfied, and proceeded to write up another slip.

Tsuna saw the notion and cried out, "N-no, stop! This happened all because of me!" He gulped as Lancia glared daggers at him. _What am I thinking, going against the teacher like this?_ "I-i-it really is – "he stopped in midsentence at the sound of muffled laughter. He looked up to find Byakuran chuckling amiably, his eyes suffused with amusement. "Eh?" Tsuna blinked. Why was he laughing? Besides Byakuran, the blond was also snickering delightedly while perched on a desk with Mukuro sitting casually in the seat. The latter's mouth was curled in mirth. _What's so funny?_

Lancia apparently wasn't so thrilled with the unexpected laughter as well, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "What, Byakuran, Bel, Mukuro?" He didn't receive an answer as the three continued to chuckle eerily in unison. Tsuna panicked, wondering what he did to amuse them so creepily. The homeroom teacher sighed when he felt he was getting no further, glancing at his gold watch. "Five minutes left of advisory," he announced to the stunned class. They quickly reacted by packing up and stuffing back unfinished homework. Lancia turned towards Byakuran with a reluctant smirk, "You owe me one, lucky bastard."

Byakuran grinned, "Naturally, Lancia-sensei."

Meanwhile, Tsuna felt an arm latched around his shoulders casually, and he turned around. The blond with the unseen eyes had on a Cheshire grin. "Heh? _It_ looks interesting, Byakuran," he said, ignoring the brunet's protests when he prodded him with the tips of very suspicious-looking silver knives.

"E-EEEK!" Tsuna's eyes bulged, arching away from the sadistic blond. Said sophomore merely grinned wider in amusement, snickering. _T-this guy…! Are we even allowed weapons in school?!_

"Kufufufu, watch it, Bel," a deep voice spoke playfully from behind, and Tsuna gasped when long fingers trailed along his back, tickling him gently. The brunet shuddered, eyes wide as he slowly inched around to look at the perpetrator. Blue hair, red-and-blue mismatched eyes, and that devious smirk. There was no doubt about it; this was most definitely that –

"…Sexual harasser!" Tsuna gaped, pointing at him dramatically. The elegant eyebrows rose upon the prospect. The blond with the dangerous daggers slinked over with a malicious grin.

"Ushishishi, Mukuro, you're such a creep," he sang.

Mukuro merely brushed a stand of blue hair away from his crimson eye nonchalantly, "Kufufu…please don't confuse me with such atrocities."

Tsuna looked at their interaction with wide eyes. _They're both creepy!_ A warm hand on his shoulder made him look to the right imploringly. Byakuran was smiling optimistically. "So what's your next period, Tsunayoshi-kun?" He was barely heard over the chatting girls in the background.

"Ah, I have Physics," he replied.

"When is your lunch period?"

Tsuna flipped to the front of his planner and saw that he had lunch after a strange period called _Training Camp_. "Uh, I have sixth period lunch."

"That's good," said Byakuran, "We have sixth lunch too."

"U-um, Byakuran-sempai, what's this period for?" Tsuna asked hesitantly, pointing to the blue block above his lunch period. The white-haired male leaned over him – a brief mesh of warmth surrounding Tsuna – to peer at the schedule.

"Ah, training camp, huh. Let's see…Lal Mirch?" he queried, breaking out in amused chuckles. "You really are unlucky, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked confusedly.

"Shishishi~, who does the freshie have for camp?" inquired Bel, straddling a chair languidly.

"Lal Mirch."

"Oh?" Mukuro had on an impressed expression.

"Ushishishi~, that woman is a _beast_," the blond snickered cynically.

Tsuna sweated as the comments got worse and worse. "U-uh, who exactly is this L-Lal Miluchi guy?"

Instead of receiving an answer, all three of them exchanged suspecting looks, ignoring the dreading brunet. The bell rang just then, signaling the drive for next period.

"_Tough luck_, freshie," Bel said, patting Tsuna's shoulder comfortingly on his way out with the biggest grin.

Mukuro passed by with a smirk of his own, "Interesting 'til the end, eh?"

"A-ah – " Tsuna uttered alarmingly, wondering what they were getting at.

Byakuran waved casually from the doorway with a pleasant smile. "We'll save you a seat in the cafeteria, and – " his eyelashes fluttered, and piercing eyes appeared like a drop of the pretend mask, "be careful on the way, Tsunayoshi-kun." The pleasantry was back again.

Tsuna gulped, nodding. The junior smiled in satisfaction and left the room.

"Get going, freshman," sneered the dark-eyed homeroom teacher.

"H-HIIE! Yes sir!" the brunet exclaimed, rushing out with his backpack swinging wildly around his shoulder.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I _*takes deep breath*_ have a dilemma!

_Everyone: *gasps*_

Anyway, _*smoothes out hair*_ I don't know whether I should add Fran or not. =/ It would mess up the timeline (although it's already messed up beyond recognition – but still, Fran is supposed to be like ten years old TYB), but I really want to have him in this story. =3 Vote? Aye or Nay!

And thanks for all the reviewers, favorite-rs, and alert-ers! And of course all the readers as well~!


	4. Agony

**Author's Note:** Oh my, you guys make me so, so, exhilarated. 3 By the way, has anyone watched this _VERY AWESOME_ AllxTsuna video on Youtube? So, so hawt.

**【腐向け】ツナ総受けで****/****神****/****無****/****月****/E/D**

My taste is always good, so you will _not_ regret copying and pasting it and searching it up on Youtube. =3 If I could rate it, I would TOTALLY rate it 100/5. =3 Or 100/27 LUL (look over pun –intended- please) Whenever I re-watch the MAD, I _always_ go into Hyper Mode when Byakuran appears. Z.O.M.G

Phew _*fans self*_

Anyway~, I know you guys want the chapter the hell up already, so I'll stop my rant here. =] And so this chapter will be named:

"_**Agony**_**" **_~ Kotoko_

In honor of the video, since the music is the Kannazuki no Miko ED theme. And it also serves its purpose in this trial and tribulation chapter of Tsuna's sad, sad life. =3 I've also evaluated everyone's thoughts on my dilemma, and I have made my decision…

* * *

_Love Makes War_

Chapter 4

Fourth floor. Where were the stairways, for god's sake? Tsuna dreaded anxiously as the hallways thinned, wondering if he'd make it to Physics without the threat of tardiness. The receptionist (it seemed like a long time ago since he met her in the registration edifice) had mentioned that there was a five minute break between each class. He must've had spent two minutes wandering the wide halls, torn between one direction to the other. He skidded around an intersection between a storage room and a classroom and unexpectedly collided into someone.

"_Ow!_" sounded from the two victims of the unanticipated collision. Tsuna rubbed his forehead where he'd been hit the hardest, feeling the weight of his backpack sliding down his shoulder. He cracked an eye and saw a luminous green-haired boy around his age, sprawled on his back from the hit. "A-ah! Are you okay?" Tsuna cried, rushing forward to help the student. His hands waved rowdily of their own accord due to his concern, and he himself stuttered incomprehensible "sorry"s. The boy sat up slowly, rubbing bleary emerald eyes tiredly.

"Aah~, and I thought the day couldn't get worse," he muttered seemingly to himself, although within the silence of the halls, it could easily be heard within earshot meters away.

Tsuna fretted, "I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going! Are you okay?" _No way! This feels like Namimori all over again!_

The other boy merely glanced at him from out of the corners of his eyes while retrieving the scattered items across the floor. He seemed to be around the same height and width as Tsuna – a rare quality found among the male population. There were barely noticeable black stripes under his eyes. His emerald orbs held a bored tone, and his voice level probably wouldn't surpass G major even if he found the will to scream. The boy's back faced Tsuna, and the brunet wondered briefly whether he was hated. "It could've been worse, I suppose," the emerald-eyed boy replied abruptly.

"Oh." Tsuna blinked.

"Well then, see you," the inexplicable boy dismissed with a small wave as he headed to the left hall.

"U-um, hey," Tsuna called bravely. The one addressed paused, gazing at the brunet from the side. Tsuna laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Uhh, I wonder what your name is…?"

The green-haired boy looked for a moment to be inaccessible, his sharp but languid eyes staring. Suddenly he frowned in seriousness and his bottom lip thinned. "Ah~ah, master will kill me," he mumbled under his breath.

"E-eh?" Tsuna looked at him curiously.

"I forgot to introduce myself," said the boy, peering at him with undisguised ennui. "I'm Fran, nice to meet you." He tipped his body at the waist, glancing at his watch distractedly while doing so. "All right, good enough," he nodded to himself, barely registering the weird stare he was receiving from the brunet. "See you, newcomer," he bid monotonously, and fast-paced down the hall without a backward glance.

Tsuna was left standing on the same spot of the collision. His legs gave a nervous tingle, and he reluctantly started towards the upper staircase on the right. _So there're people like him, too_, he thought as he climbed up the stairs. Come to think of it, Reborn hadn't appeared at all after the first period. He dismissed the worry; the little baby would demolish him if he slacked off in his studies. There were only a few chatting upperclassmen in the hallways now. He was on the fourth floor, so all he had to do now was to locate Physics. He rushed into room 444 where a middle-aged woman sat in her chair overlooking test papers. Tsuna quickly scanned in, feeling the hair on his neck stand on end as glances became focused on him. He should really get used to all this…

Tsuna spent the entire period copying down endless waves of notes, uncomprehending the figures and equations for acceleration and net force, and avoiding curious stares and not so hidden index finger pointing(s). He sighed in relief as the bell ended the complicated class, working out the kinks in his brain from the mental abuse. He was packing when he was unsuspectingly cornered by four girls. Tsuna squeaked in surprise as the probing eyes leered at him.

"You're right, M.M-chan," a dark-haired girl with wide eyes agreed, nodding at a familiar redhead. "He seems the perfect fit for this year's Host Club." The redhead who was present during Mukuro's fangirl ring winked smugly.

"Seems like the _Yandere_ type, don't you think?" another girl commented, staring at the brunet with mild adoration.

Tsuna's senses prickled, and he stammered, "U-um, w-what are you – "

"_Kyaaa_!" a female student with glasses on the far end squealed in delight, representing the others' looks of adulation. "He acts _exactly_ like one too! It's definitely the 'sweet at a first glance' but 'dangerous the next' type!" They all nodded in agreement, much to Tsuna's chagrin.

_What are they talking about?! This has never happened before in Namimori!_ "U-uh, I'm going t-to belateformynextclass, so please excuse me!" he managed before he squeezed through the ring of protesting girls, running crazily down the stairway. His feet thudded on the stairs with loud thumps, corresponding his heart's racing beats. _Those girls are even scarier than bullies!_ Actually, he couldn't really score the two on separate landings, but the rabid girls and the sneering bullies were definitely on par with each other. He took out his planner and peered at the schedule. With a thud of his heart, he realized that he needed to get to '_Training Camp_.' The upperclassmen during advisory, the sadistic blond, the sexual harasser, and the cool Byakuran-sempai, all seemed to share a mutual fear or awe for this period's instructor. Tsuna wondered if he really wanted to know why.

With a sudden thought, Tsuna realized he didn't know how to get to his next period. He mentally smacked himself in self-annoyance. Looking around, he spotted a lone guard pacing around the hall, and the brunet hesitantly headed towards the man.

"Excuse me," said Tsuna with a weak smile, "do you know where 'Training Camp' is?"

The guard frowned. "Which instructor do you have?"

"Uhh…" Tsuna glanced at his schedule. "Lal M-Miluchi."

"Lal Mirch?

"Ah, yes."

"Hmm, her fifth period class must be located in the outer practice field," informed the guard. Tsuna stared at him uncomprehendingly. "New student?" the man mused amusedly. The brunet nodded with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head. "All right, I'll show you."

Fortunately for Tsuna, the guard led him to the base of the school in an elevator. There was an automatic noise as the doors reopened, introducing a miniature professional office of sorts. They were in the room behind the admittance edifice, the guard told him. This room had four entrances, one leading to the inner practice field (a gym), the other to the school botanical garden for biological research, the door perpendicular to the garden entrance led to the outer practice field for outdoor sports, and the last entrance would lead to the lowest floor of the Academy where a colossal aquarium was located for marine research. Tsuna wondered what kind of sea creatures were kept in the aquarium, startled by the extremely different concept of the value of education in here as compared to Namimori High.

"Miss Lal Mirch will be waiting on the other side," the guard said, pointing to a door on the right of the white room. Tsuna nodded.

"Thanks for showing me around," he thanked, and pushed the door open. There was a brightly lit tunnel leading to another door at the near end. His footsteps echoed in the silence of the confine, leaving Tsuna to wander aimlessly in his mind. As he approached the entrance, voices flooded from behind the steel door. He braced himself with a practiced sigh and pulled the handle. Fresh air embraced him and chilly wind enclosed the outdoors.

"Ken," a stern voice snapped, immediately capturing Tsuna's attention, "your back isn't straight enough. Is this what you call a push-up? Don't make me laugh!" A medium length mane of blue hair framed serious, undaunted eyes, the challenging orbs glaring at the class of weaklings who were all enduring exercises in the bitter weather. The freshman she was berating sneered refutably, perspiration dripping down his face and wetting the muddy ground.

Tsuna stiffened anxiously, shifting from one foot to the other. This woman looked young, but she sure seemed scary! As if reading his thoughts, the fit trainer eyed him inquisitively from where he stood.

"You there," she called, her eyes narrowing.

"EEP! Yes?" squeaked Tsuna, arms forming an "x" over him in defense.

The woman stalked over to him with a fierce expression, a raggedly cape trailing behind her. "Are you Sawada Tsunayoshi?" she demanded when she was but two inches away, glowering down at him. He noticed that there were some sort of red goggles device perched on her head.

"Y-yes."

She frowned, muttering to herself, "So he was right after all…"

"Eh, yes?"

The instructor pulled herself together with a menacing scowl and ordered, "Start doing forty push-ups, fifty sit-ups, and when you've completed both, you'll be notified of your next exercise." Tsuna gaped at her, horrified. She turned her back on him with a swish of her cloak. "I don't want to hear _any_ complaints. And if I do – "there was a faint chuckle – "you'll live to regret it," she finished in an icy tone, completely ensuring that the other party received the painfully obvious threat.

Tsuna gulped audibly, his feet sinking several centimeters deeper in the mud and forming human tracks.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lal Mirch snapped.

"E-eek! Yes sir!"

"And wear the combat uniform before completing your assignment."

"Yes sir!"

Immediately he regretted replying as quickly as he did; now having to search for said uniform. He glanced around at the other students, all of them freshmen boys, heaving breathlessly as they jogged around the racetrack and did their multiple routines. Tsuna slipped the baggy, tan suit over his school uniform, wondering what his mom's reaction would be to the dirtied shoes. He took a deep, wavering breath, preparing to do the set of torture that he'd be sure would wind him up in coma.

Pant. Huff. Pant. Tsuna could taste the salty drop in his mouth as he pressed down on his buckling arms, forcing his back to be as straight as a board. He couldn't take it anymore – the mud was seeping into his hands, making him slippery and unable to withhold the stance, his back was refusing to dip any lower, and his arms were straining to keep him upright. He was on the feeble tip of an iceberg, threatening to tilt over the ravaging sea.

_Thump._ "Ugh," Tsuna choked, sighing heavily as his body untangled loose on the grimy mud. He couldn't care less for some guy's laughter of glee occurring from beside him, so focused was he on the aching pain caused by the aftermath of the difficult exercise. "Argh! I can't take it anymore," he groaned, his palm fisting as he tried to sit up. Suddenly a stinging pain across his cheek induced him to a loss of breath, leaving him staring vaguely at the dizzy surrounding. The other freshmen had stopped their activities to look at the interaction.

"What did I tell you?" hissed his instructor, dragging him up by his wrist roughly. Tsuna's eyes widened in confusion, staring into vexed amber orbs. "Do you think you'll be let off the hook with an 'I can't do it?' Answer me, Sawada!"

Tsuna shook his head to clear the fog, feeling overwhelmingly exhausted of energy. His training instructor scowled, turning back to the attentive first years. "Get back to your duties, or your averages will be a zero!" They hurried to comply, whispering excitedly amongst themselves. "Sawada, come with me."

With that, the brunet was pulled into the tunnel leading back to the school edifice. The two walked at a brisk pace, and the door was in view within seconds. Without a word, Lal Mirch swung open the iron handle, dragging her hapless student in.

"U-um, Lal Mirch-san?" squeaked Tsuna, terribly mortified of what was to become of him. His fifth period trainer glanced at him momentarily, a short, steely gaze. They were in the room with the four entrances, and he noticed that the doors leading to the botanical garden and aquarium had no doorknobs or handles, but instead machines with an ID identification system. "What – "

"Sawada," Lal Mirch ignored him, "you will be tested as to whether you have the right to remain in my class."

"E-eh – _huh_?" Tsuna stared at her as she pressed her palm on the ID panel wired beside a steel door. There was no sound of hinges creaking but an eerie muffled noise as the iron slid past the polished floor. _What's going to happen to me_, he panicked apprehensively as he looked into a fully darkened channel. His instructor glanced at him stonily, pacing boldly into the darkness.

"Follow me," she ordered.

Tsuna stood rigid as he broke out in cold sweat, but he had no time to linger about when a hand reached out and seized him by the collar. "H-HIIIIE!" Darkness enclosed his senses, and fear crippled him when he heard the steel door bolting into place and blocking out any seeping light. Inwardly he was screaming with fright, but he tried to follow as closely behind the demonic trainer as possible. Suddenly she came to a stop and he bumped into her softly. Tsuna fretted nervously, but she didn't seem to respond to his klutziness. Noises dwelled in the confine, sounds resembling slithering and slapping against water. Tsuna was terrified to the core.

Suddenly light flickered once, twice, trice, and the whole place lit up. Tsuna gasped, stepping back as he realized that the platform he was standing on with his trainer was suspended over radiant blue water. There were flooding lights underneath, sealing the water in a source of mystical serenity. A wide bridge was postponed over the stream, and Tsuna followed the lead to…what he could only describe as a colossal underwater kingdom encased in thick transom. There were flowery decorations, sea plants, marine animals in schools following behind one fish, fluttering coral reefs, and colorful and camouflaged fish of all different sizes were dwelling in oceanic water. Streams of light entered the tank from above. Tsuna marveled at the sight, watching as a fish flitted in a pink coral.

"Heh, I was waiting for you," a voice chirped. Tsuna tore his eyes away from the aquarium and stumbled in surprise as wide pools of black surfaced from the shallow water that was swaying under the platform.

"HIIIIIIE, it's the sea monster!" howled the brunet, eyes wide in terror as he hugged the wall desperately. Lal Mirch, whom he had forgotten was there, ignored him.

"Reborn," she acknowledged.

"Ciaossu," the baby greeted merrily, his tentacle twitching as he waved a fin.

"_Reborn!_" cried Tsuna in anguish, "where were you?"

"I was doing errands," he replied, hopping out of the water and onto the platform, splashing liquid on the floor. His costume was a Bottlenose Dolphin with special tentacles attached to the head.

"We're ready to start his trial," Lal Mirch said, busily setting supplies on the floor.

"I see."

"Reborn," Tsuna whispered to the baby when he felt that the woman was no longer listening, "you're acquainted with the devil-lady?"

The arcobaleno nodded and pointed out loudly, "Yes, in fact, I grew up with the 'devil-lady' over there."

"N-not so loud!" Tsuna froze when he heard knuckles cackling threateningly. _HIIIE! I'm done for! Thanks for nothing, Reborn!_

"Don't get carried away so fast, Lal Mirch," Reborn smooth-talked and Tsuna sighed in relief, "after all, once he gets thrown in, you can do whatever you want."

"E-eh? Huh? What?!" Tsuna stammered, looking from the unfaltering infant to the slowly convinced demon instructor.

"You're right, Reborn," agreed Lal Mirch, casting the brunet a snide glance of triumph.

_Eeep! Either way I'm dead! And what does Reborn mean by 'throwing' me in?! No way – does he mean…?!_ Tsuna scratched his head maniacally, groaning. "You don't mean – Reborn! Don't tell me you're throwing me in for real!"

The baby merely tapped his plastic tail on the floor. Tsuna stared at him in disbelief.

"All right," Lal Mirch announced, holding a black intercom in her hand. Tsuna noticed the items spread out on the platform – uncomfortable scuba-diving suit, flippers, face mask, and air tank. The brunet paled.

"N-n-no way, this can't be happening! Help me out of this, Reborn!" Tsuna cried, looking pleadingly at his home tutor.

Reborn's pair of tentacles twitched. "This is what you get for being so pathetic, Tsuna. Just count this as an experience for future reference."

"What future reference?" retorted the brunet with apprehension. "It's not like I'll suddenly decide to be an expert scuba-diver!"

"Enough," Lal Mirch intervened. Tsuna stilled immediately. "Look over there," she said, pointing to the center of the aquarium. Reborn and his student both followed her gesture and saw, to Tsuna's absolute dismay, an area enclosed by four sides with an iron barrier. In the imprisonment was a motionless burgundy octopus, gigantic in form and lengthy in limbs, deep in slumber. "Your mission is to retrieve a certain item that the sea animal has. It's a small crown that the octopus wears, so it should be obvious."

Tsuna gawked at her. There was no way he would do it. No way in hell – and that wouldn't be a far cry for where he would wind up in if he took this ridiculous 'mission.' "I c-can't do it," rejected Tsuna, and he gasped when his instructor grasped his shoulders and shook him roughly.

"Don't you _dare_ say that again, Sawada! This is why you have to endure this assignment – because of your weak attitude!" she spat, glaring at him venomously.

"B-but, this is weird! I'll die!" Tsuna said, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

"If you're the Vongola Tenth, this should be no problem."

"But I'm _not _the Vongola Tenth!" Tsuna endured transferring; he couldn't endure anymore of their psychotic tactics.

"Do you value your life?" This came from Reborn.

"Yes!" After all, anything was better than getting strangled to death by an octopus.

"Do you want to live?"

"Of course!"

"Then is this your resolve?"

"Ye – eh?"

Reborn smirked. "Good enough." Tsuna blinked, but before he could respond or register what was happening, a bullet had already imbedded itself into his forehead. Lal Mirch let go, looking at the brunet confusedly. She gasped when a bight flame flared on the boy and his determined, fiery caramel eyes fluttered open.

"W-what is this?" she inquired, seeking an answer from Reborn.

"You'll find out soon enough, Lal Mirch," the reply came from the infant as he threw a pair of strange oven mittens to Tsuna. "Right now let him dress."

The trainer tried to protest, but nodded when she saw the seriousness in those inaccessible black orbs. She turned face-to-face to the wall, letting the brunet strip off of his uniform and fit into the scuba set. "Face the center of the platform," she ordered when she felt he had enough given time. There were sounds of scuffling and Lal Mirch turned to see her student dressed in full gear with the oxygen mask on, the air tank strapped, and the outfit tuned. She nodded in confirmation although she was still surprised over the dying will flame. She went over to attach a headpiece to the brunet.

"Ready," Tsuna deadpanned from under the mask.

Lal Mirch ignored the change in personality, pressing a switch on her control. A hook traversed across the ceiling, reaching down and securing the brunet. It carried him up to the top of the aquarium, navigating him slowly to where the octopus's residence was. A hatch over the imprisonment slid open, and gradually the hook steadied Tsuna into the block. The mechanical limbs let go, and the brunet floated in the water, bubbles escaping from his mouthpiece. So far the octopus was still asleep, so he drifted over stealthily to where its head was. The flabby skin swayed to the water's current. Tsuna could see the crown glinting under scattered rays of light, and he hovered as close as possible without awakening the eight-limbed creature.

"Be careful, Sawada. Octopi have excellent sense of touch, so be gentle when removing the item," Lal Mirch's voice sounded from the intercom.

Tsuna didn't respond, gliding across the water to find a way to extract the crown. It was a small thing, perched lopsidedly on the flaccid head. He propelled himself forward with the dying will flames when a limb flicked absentmindedly at his previous spot. Swimming to the tip of the head, he kept an eye out for other types of movement. When he found it to be satisfying, he reached his hands to touch the polished jewelry. The octopus twitched, but otherwise it remained in slumber. He prepared himself, breathing deeply in the oxygen mask, and slightly hitched the crown up from the right. There was no reaction. He lifted the other side. This time a beady eye cracked open and Tsuna lingered completely still, but thankfully it closed again. With a quick pull, he removed the ornament and swam hectically to the brim of the tank. There were multiple swishing noises from behind him, and he knew the octopus had awakened. Tsuna didn't wait to find out if he was right.

Lal Mirch thumped a switch to get the hook to pick up Tsuna. Reborn was watching patiently, now wearing his normal black suit. Inside the aquarium, the brunet avoided the monstrous swing of a tentacle, trying to stay afloat in the same location as to where the hook had dropped him. The mechanical maneuver was awaiting beyond the transparent hatch, it was sliding open, and –

Tsuna pried off a strangling limb latched around his waist, and with a jolt realized that the octopus had broken his air tank with another tentacle. He desperately willed himself to not gasp for breath, shooting out flames to propel himself toward the hook. When he swam above water level, he took in a deep breath before being thrashed underwater again by a force. Tsuna managed to cling unto the crown despite the attacks, and he searched alarmingly for the hook. It was only a few inches above him, and he extended his arms, grasping the metal. The octopus was eyeing him with its beady eyes. Tsuna let himself to be strapped, shaking off a loose limb hooked around his foot. The hatch was closing now, and the tentacles weren't going to make it.

He was safe.

And that was all that mattered, he thought as the flame dissipated, leaving him drowsily reaching for sleep.

The next moment he awoke to strangely worried amber orbs peering at him. Tsuna grasped his head, groaning as an incoming headache pounded mercilessly. He tried to move his arm but found it to be useless when it dropped limply beside him. His strength was undoubtedly drained.

"You have five minutes until lunch period, Sawada," a familiar voice informed him. He tried to nod, to show he understood, but he only gasped in pain as that simple notion sent waves of stinging pain to reverberate throughout his whole body.

"The you in Hyper Mode completely exhausted your body," Reborn said from somewhere in the haziness.

"R-Reborn, where am I?" croaked Tsuna, clutching his head.

"We're still currently in the aquarium. You blacked out for ten minutes, but you need to prepare for lunch so get dressed," the matter-of-factly voice grounded mercilessly.

"It'd be nice if I could…" muttered the brunet.

"Get up, Sawada."

"Urgh…I can't move…uwahhh!" he cried as a fist connected with his headache's most painful point. Tsuna doubled over, seizing his head agonizingly, the pain unbearable. He felt wet and cold, the slippery diving outfit wasn't helping much, his headache was turning into a migraine, and to top it off, he was starving for food. "I feel like a mess!" he whined.

"You look like one. Now hurry up and change," Reborn chided, throwing his surprisingly untainted uniform into his face.

After a few minutes of internal complaints and cursing, Tsuna finally was in the right uniform. His shoes were polished brightly, much to his utter surprise, and his tie was tied to perfection. His backpack was slung over his shoulder. The water had matted his gravity-defying hair but he didn't care. He just wanted to get the hell out of the eerie aquarium where the octopus was floating in its iron cage, its tentacles swaying and twitching. Tsuna faced the door to his freedom, trying as hard as he could to erase the horrendous incident with the octopus. If this continued, he would have had no appetite left to spare.

Lal Mirch identified herself and the door slid open to reveal bright light. Tsuna blinked, suddenly unaccustomed to the normality of it all. Reborn shuffled across the floor with his tiny feet.

"You've passed the trial, Sawada," Lal Mirch said suddenly. Tsuna looked at her inquisitively. "This means you'll be allowed to stay in my training camp," finished the instructor with an exultant smirk. Reborn also had on a wry smile.

"A-ah, t-that's u-um…" _Truth is_, Tsuna thought in trepidation, _I'd rather drop out instead!_ "Lal Mirch-san, whose crown is this," he asked, pointing to the jewelry in his hand. His instructor glanced at the item with a scowl.

"It belongs to an idiot."

Tsuna arrived at the cafeteria with the bell ringing merely a few seconds later. He glanced wearily around the spacious eating area. There were round, decorated tables which seated around ten people. There was enough space between the tables so that people wouldn't trip over the legs. The cafeteria food was of the highest, most exquisite degree, consisting of delicious pasta, sausages, and the like with cuisines of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean among others. Desserts were sugary pie, carrot cake, chocolate and vanilla pudding, ice cream, and much more. The brunet relatively drooled at the sight and the smell of the food due to his deprived stomach. He was alarmingly reminded of how tired he was, though, when he suffered from another round of headache. Lal Mirch had managed to knock one out temporarily, but this one was back full force. His body was also starting to sag from exhaustion. He steadied himself with the support of the wall behind him, his vision becoming ever so faint.

"Ah, is that Tsunayoshi-kun?" a lighthearted voice sounded. The brunet raised hooded eyes, gazing vaguely. He could tell soft white hair and lilac-blue irises.

"B-Byakuran-sempai…?" he managed before another wave of nausea overwhelmed him. He could feel his legs buckling.

"Ushishishi, I didn't get to see the little kitten all day~."

"Oya, oya, are you all right?" a deep and playful voice inquired with almost traceable worry. Footsteps echoed in his slowly hampered senses.

"This won't do, Tsunayoshi-kun." Tsuna felt warm fingers trailing along his face and a supportive arm lacing around his waist. He didn't do anything to reject the touches, instead cooperating drearily. He leaned into the mass of warmth holding him in place, giving in completely to the fatigue. He really wanted nothing more than to sleep. As if reading his mind, the person pressed Tsuna's head gently against him, letting his hand trace patterns soothingly onto his back.

"Kufufu, you're quite the opportunist, Byakuran," Mukuro murmured, his eyes narrowing.

His white-haired peer merely chuckled, gazing at the petite figure almost fondly. "It's no good to dwell over here any longer."

Whispers ignited as the three, along with a sleepy Tsuna, swept past the tables. Byakuran flashed his usual smile, albeit a bit more cheerfully that he would've had on a daily basis. Bel followed with his wide Cheshire grin and Mukuro coolly drifting along. A stairway led to their table which was situated on a balcony overlooking the cafeteria. Seven seats were available around the round table and each of them sat down. Tsuna who was barely awake nearly toppled over standing with both feet planted on the ground. Had it not been Byakuran's firm grasp on his wrist, he would've landed head-first.

"The little kitten's not capable of standing~," said Bel amusedly.

Tsuna's eyes weren't opened, and he swayed dangerously at where he stood. He gasped when he was lifted onto the lap of his sempai, but he didn't have any energy left to complain. Instead he complied by snuggling into the crook of Byakuran's neck contentedly, lulling into sleep blearily. Mukuro watched the interaction with barely hidden envy, locking eyes more than once with his friend and opponent. They traded forced smiles, each eyeing the sleeping brunet almost instinctively.

"Shishishi, what's this grim atmosphere~?" Bel snickered, tapping a fork on his plate.

"I don't sense a grim atmosphere as you say," denied Mukuro calmly, settling back into his chair with his leg crossed. However a frown flitted across his handsome features when Byakuran brushed a stand of wet, brown lock away from the serene face.

Urgent whispers came from the stair's base, and the three looked down to spot girls excitedly talking amongst themselves. They seemed to be in deep contemplation, each urging the other to ascend the 'royalty steps.' They were all roughly pushed aside by the same haughty girl present during Byakuran's winning game. The blue-haired female student tossed her long mane before gracefully mounting the stairway. Her overly bright smile which she wore was impertinently wiped off when she spotted a figure sleeping on the lap of _her_ Byakuran-sama. Her mouth formed an "o" which she had a hard time refraining, or getting it to shut.

"B-Byakuran-sama!" she squealed, indicating rudely the reason she was getting hyped over by gesturing at the sleeping brunet with her index finger.

"Yes?" He smiled.

"W-what i-is this insolent _thing_ on Byakuran-sama!" she demanded, but her moment of bravado was flushed down the toilet at the iciest glare that had never been, and yet had been, directed towards her from her object of affection. She gulped, eyes widening when the white-haired junior sipped from a glass calmly.

"Ushishishi, Bluebell, you've crossed the border," the blond mocked, playing with his specially shaped dagger.

"What have you come here for, Bluebell?" asked Mukuro.

The blue-haired girl pulled herself together with dignity, "I've come to ask for the official date for this year's Host Club."

"It's undecided as of the moment," Mukuro answered, twirling a straw in his drink mildly.

"Is that so…"

"For future reference, Bluebell-chan," Byakuran said, still smiling as he curled a strand of chocolate brown hair gingerly, "refrain from being impudent in my presence."

"Y-yes, Byakuran-sama," Bluebell stuttered, curtsying politely and hiding her embarrassment. "Please forgive me."

"Of course, Bluebell."

The girl scuttled down the staircase, scowling at the other female students on her way down, determined to maintain just a little bit of pride. Bel, Mukuro, and Byakuran could only sigh with apprehension as the line below the stair extended. It was the usual lunch pre-Host Club line, except that it expanded as the girls started expecting the opening of the popular club.

* * *

**Author's Note:** YAY Fran =3 Anyways, I know you guys are quick-paced people who expect quick-paced stories, but I can't. =/ I work slowly to get the plot to _explode_ when it reaches climax…well, except I haven't ever completed a story. O.O You guys are lucky that I survive the chapter 3 hurdle! All of my other fics never last once I upload chapter 3. =]

I myself LUVS action/adventure stories, so it's no wonder that I would include it in this fic. Just bear with me =33 And you must survive all hardships before obtaining freedom (fluff *coughcough*)!

Much luv to everyone~ And happy belated _Thanksgiving!_


	5. Fan

**Author's Note:** Haii everyone~ Welcome to the fifth installment of _"Love Makes War_!"

I recently got hold of a new computer. It's a gaming desktop computer so it's very fast. The only problem is the SLOWASS internet! WTFASDGAGER#!#! It's prolly because of that cheap Wireless USB Adapter which was on sale for like $9.99 -_- Everything else is puuurfect. I need to do something about Microsoft programs though, since it's determined to put me on trial when the 23 days are up without the validation of the stupid product key. 'Cause without Word 2007, I have to download other programs to maintain my fics. =/ Freakin' money-making Microsoft.

_**"Fan"**__ ~ Epik High_

* * *

_Love Makes War_

Chapter 5

A strong scent of bitterly cooked octopi wafted from somewhere, reaching Tsuna's nose. He twitched in his comfy sleep, scowling at the smell. It strangely invoked a deep resentment from within him despite his being unable to remember exactly why. Tsuna blearily peeked through an eye as the seafood smell became unbearable. Slightly wrinkled satin uniform, a platinum emblem, soft white hair, a smile.

"A-ah, e-eh, eh, HIIIIIIE!" In a flurry of movements, the brunet had stumbled away from the upperclassman with squeaks and other cries of terror. He stood trembling behind a chair, flailing his arms wildly and uttering apologies. "EEK! I'm so sorry, so sorry s-sempai!"

Byakuran plopped a marshmallow into his mouth, leaning on his palm with an amused expression. "Is something wrong, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsuna paled, suddenly realizing his predicament as three pairs of eyes bored into his nervous stature. The sadistic blond was banally dividing a well-cooked steak using his tailored knife, grinning his trademark grin at the brunet. Next to him sat Mukuro, idly sipping a cup of Earl Grey with a condescending gaze, having barely touched his plate of seasoned variety of tropical seafood. That must've had been what aroused him from sleep, he thought as he glanced wearily at the plate of cooked octopi and squid. Tsuna hastily averted eye communication with the affable white-haired upperclassman as his embarrassment clouded his conduct. "Uh, um, I'm - "

"VOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" an earsplitting roar roused the cafeteria.

Tsuna's ears rang from the hectically deafening exclamation, but he was too late in covering his poor eardrums from the outrageous outburst from the school intercoms. He stood numbly as the students in the cafeteria quieted and all turned to face the speakers situated along the walls. Byakuran motioned for him to take a seat, and the brunet complied numbly.

"All you pricks of Millefiore Academy," boomed the announcer with a constant range of yells to the immense approval of the student body whom hollered and whooped at the intercoms, "a Halloween event will commence starting this week! VOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIII, anyone participating better get your ticket in by this _venerdì_, got it? Anyone not participating are made to fail, VOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIII!" Despite this blatant insult, the students only seemed to heighten in excitement, murmuring to each other with bated breaths. The speakers clicked and the ineffably vociferous announcer was gone.

"Heh? That Squalo sure knows how to provoke the nutters~," Bel said, splitting a piece of meat with practiced cuts.

"Kufufu, last year it was the Halloween Battle Royale," Mukuro recalled, a dark smirk playing on his lips.

"Eh?"

The blue-haired junior looked at Tsuna with a treacherous leer, "Do you really want to know, _Tsunayoshi-kun_?" The brunet felt uneasy by his words, an unwarranted thought crossing his mind by the mocking tone used to call his name.

"Don't scare the transfer student, Mukuro-chan," advised the white-haired upperclassman. He was snacking on a chocolate pocky which made Tsuna long for his own junk food.

"Kufufu, it is merely a matter of truth," Mukuro brushed his advice off with a phlegmatic glance. "Besides, only Bel participated in it last year - and won."

At the mention of his name, the blond snickered slyly. "Shishishi, I can't wait until this Halloween. Seems like it'll be plenty of fun and games~." He tilted his head at the confused Tsuna with an inquiring but interested gesture. "Shishishi~, I heard it'll be a Haunted Mansion this year."

Having already forgotten about his rather humiliating incident with Byakuran, Tsuna squeaked tentatively, "H-h-haunted mansion?"

"Participating, Tsunayoshi-kun?" Byakuran asked him.

Tsuna blanched, "Nope." There was no way he would get involved with that kind of activity. As long as Reborn didn't know about it, he would be fine...

The bell rang. Tsuna suddenly noticed that he hadn't eaten since this morning, and his stomach was giving off warning pains. He clutched his abdomen as unnoticeably as he could, trying to prevent a potentially disgraceful noise from emerging.

"Well then, see you, Tsunayoshi-kun," Byakuran bid with his good-natured smile. The brunet was reminded forcibly of his remotely dangerous afternoon nap situation, but he yielded the urge to stutter and blush.

"You too, Byakuran-s-sempai." So he did stutter. It was only one word, so it was all right, Tsuna convinced himself. He was met with a composed grin as the tall junior descended the stairs, followed by the complacent blond. Mukuro passed by with a sidelong glance and an enigmatic smirk. Tsuna stared at him as he slid down the steps, feeling perturbed. It was only his first day as a transferred student and he was already fretting the outcome.

* * *

_**["Fan"** ~ Epik High**]**_

_Even if it's only in my mind _[ne morissoge sorado]

_(Even if I can't touch you)_ [manjilsuga obsodo]

A silver-haired teenager stubbed out a cigarette on the leaves-ridden sidewalk. He was wearing a loose designer jacket with a black undershirt and casual jeans held by a studded belt. He scowled at a couple of mindless girls who were itching to get first dibs on the fashionable "jock." They gulped and turned away, albeit still whispering utters of glee. He leaned on the gates of the renown Millefiore Academy, crossing his arms. It was only a matter of time before his new Boss would show up. Honestly he was ready to bomb his way over to Japan within minutes after the infamous arcobaleno's summon several days ago, but Reborn-san told him to stay put. And so here he was, a week after the call.

It was a great big of deal for him to leave his trashy life behind, but he was more than exuberated to do so. The underworld consisted of multiple families whom controlled parts of the provinces in Italy, Russia, and other areas of wealth in the world. However, compared to the masses of those organizations, only a few of the families were worth serving. Among them were the Vongola, Millefiore, Chiavarone, Estraneo, and other families. He glowered as he remembered the times when the pathetic bosses he had been attending to tried to persuade him into joining their harem, claiming that he would rise up in the ranks if he accepted the offer. His fingers clenched a cigarette-lighter and accidentally crushed the item into shards of plastic.

"Tch, shit!" he cussed, shaking loose of the lighter. He grounded the object with the spilled liquid into the cement. It was a relief to be away from his disastrous home back in Italy. He wouldn't have had to encounter the incorrigible face of his half-sister and his discontented biological father. Life would be better here in Japan where it was devoid of all those unnecessary contents. He, however, needed to test his new boss, the Vongola Decimo, to see if he was fit to be a Vongola. Eyeing his surroundings, he saw the entrance of the Academy swinging open. Students spilled out from behind the doors, chatting animatedly and texting on their phones. He put his hands into his pockets.

It was almost time.

_Even if it's only a meaningless dream_ [gujo hotdoen kkumirado]  
_(Even if I can't talk to you) _[marhalsuga obsodo]

"Eh? Reborn?" an incredulous voice sounded from behind him. The silver-haired teen tensed and turned around with a masked scowl, excitement eating away at him inwardly.

"Ciaossu, Tsuna." An infant leaped out of a cherry blossom tree, landing on the ground gracefully. The wide-eyed brunet grimaced, holding his backpack. "How was your first day?" the baby inquired, pacing beside him.

Tsuna sighed, scratching the back of his head. "It's really different from Namimori High. I met some upperclassmen today." The toddler didn't respond, glancing around meticulously. "Something wrong, Re - ah!" he cried out as he absentmindedly bumped into someone. "S-sorry, I wasn't looking..." he trailed off as a pair of stormy emerald orbs glared down at him. _HIIIYAH! This guy's scary!_ Tsuna blinked rapidly, gulping. He was definitely feeling the contemptuous vibes.

"The hell?" sneered the silver-haired guy. "Are you the Vongola heir?"

Tsuna stared. "Huh?"

_Even if I hide and watch from far away _[molliso sumosorado]

"Are you Sawada Tsunayoshi?" he elaborated with a scowl.

"E-eek! Yes?" the brunet squeaked, backing away. Reborn was mysteriously gone again. This guy looked like a delinquent from some other school who liked to pick on freshmen - and, wait, did he say _Vongola_?!

"Let's make this quick," the guy growled, flicking a lighter on something that looked suspiciously like firecrackers.

"HIIIE, what are y-you doing?" Tsuna yelped shrilly. At that moment he nearly forgot what legs were for, but when he did, he was shooting bizarrely down the streets with squeals of terror. The predator was not far behind however, and he could hear him shouting for him to stop running. _Ick! No way I'm going to stop with a crazy guy like him after me!_ He panted, wiping his face with one hand. There was strangely no one else in the neighborhood besides the bully and him. With the estates yards away from each other, there were no possible ways for him to hide from the weirdo.

The silver-haired pursuer stopped trailing the brunet and stood still at his spot. He fished around for more dynamites and began lighting one by one with a spare cigarette lighter. When he had enough in his arms, he spurred onward with new surge of speed. The frightened brunet was only a few meters away, and, gritting his teeth, he aimed as best he could towards the Vongola heir. _BA-BOOM!_ went the dynamites. He strained his eyes through the haze, wondering if that culminated the tenth generation boss. Grimacing, he turned his back on the explosion. So this was another dead-end after all. A light shuffling of footsteps endeared him to a stop, and with his heart pounding furiously, he swiveled around.

_[You know I do]_

_[nol saranghandago] _

A fiery speck of pure light engulfed the petite brunet as he brushed past the wisps of fog. He came from the explosion unaltered and in perfect condition. His piercing caramel eyes were phlegmatic and void of emotion, and his stature was straighter in form and fortified with each step he took. The silver-haired teen trembled, his heart racing at the fastest pace he had ever experienced, and he wondered briefly whether he was exposed to the risk of heart-attack. But of course if he ever did suffer from one, he would know the cause of it.

And the cause was right here, standing in front of him, gazing up at him with an undeniable resolution. The older teen got down slowly, painfully, on one knee without severing eye contact. "I'm completely in debt of your brilliance, Boss!" he exclaimed, his earlier tough incognito disappearing abruptly. In place was a gaze of awe and honor and the happiest grin he could muster to express his ineffable respect.

_[Even if you don't know who I am]_ [nega nugunjinun mollado]

Tsuna blinked as his dying will deviated. In front of him was a sight he didn't think he'd ever experienced in this lifetime, or ever, for that matter. The delinquent-like teen was gazing at him with a look that was bestowed upon the heavenly gods of the earth. Tsuna gaped in disbelief.

"I, Gokudera Hayato, am completely honored to be able to serve as the right-hand man under the future Tenth Vongola Boss!"

_You are my star_

_I'm your number one fan_

_So please_

_Take my hand_

And just as simple as that, Reborn told him later, he had gained a new and entirely loyal family member. There was no way Tsuna would accept this idea.

He honestly didn't know what to think when, during Advisory the next day, he anonymously received a ticket to the October 31st Halloween event, "Haunted Mansion: Mystery Unsolved," from the homeroom teacher. Tsuna knew that he didn't apply for the event, yet strangely enough he was invited to the mansion. This, he realized, was another one of Reborn's tactics despite his successful attempt at managing to keep his mouth shut. The trio, Byakuran, Bel, and Mukuro were mysteriously excused from Advisory to do something pertaining to their "Host Club," leaving him to wallow in the girls' persistence in striking a conversation with him.

It only went from bad to worse when the homeroom door slammed open and a flustered but triumphant Gokudera strode up to Lancia and demanded to be admitted into Tsuna's Advisory. He said that he had permission from the vice principal to switch from his designated class to this room. Upon admission, the silver-haired teen flashed a bright grin at his rather reluctant Boss and ordered a scrawny upperclassman out of the seat that was conveniently located before Tsuna's. The brunet tried to protest, but in the end all he could manage was a defeated sigh fallen to deaf ears.

It was tough living his life.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Next chapter is going to be...-_beep_-

And so wait for the next installment of _"Love Makes War!"_

This is perhaps the shortest chapter I've ever written for this story. Oh well. =] Next one will be extremely long because I've waited to do that chapter since a long time ago, inspired by the Halloween theme. Unfortunately this chapter will be out two months after Halloween, two weeks after Thanksgiving, and perhaps two weeks before Christmas.

A lot of two's. =3

~Thanks everyone for reading & reviewing~ [You are all awesome]


	6. Alice Human Sacrifice: First Path

**Author's Note:** A _somewhat_ late update, but this shall suffice! And forward we venture towards the "purple line!"

*Author is currently not making sense...please don't mind her*

Oh, and, Tablo got married? -.- Jeezus =/

Oh, and btw this chapter is extremely long, if you hadn't already noticed. ^^; And it's also becoming somewhat _dark_, but ah~

**Disclaimer:**_ Vocaloid_ and _Hitobashira Alice, _and _baseball quote_

**Claimer:** Oh, but I _do_ own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

"_**Alice Human Sacrifice/Hitobashira Alice"** ~ Vocaloid_

* * *

_Love Makes War_

Chapter 6

"_Somewhere, there was a tiny dream._

_Such a tiny dream it was that no one knew who had dreamt it._

_The tiny dream began to think._

_'I don't want to disappear this way._

_How can I make people dream of me?'_

_The tiny dream thought and thought,_

_And then came up with an idea._

_'I'll make humans get lost in me..._

_And let them create the world.'"_

Tsuna jolted, his eyes widening. The whisper was gone, melted into the rowdy chorus of the bustling hallway. Surely it was just his imagination...he shook his head to clear the thought. Yet he couldn't help but to glance wearily at the crowd of forgoers, the last of the eerie whisper lingering in his mind. A flash of white caught his attention, and the brunet ventured out of the student conformity to peer at the side-view of a familiar upperclassman. Byakuran was leaning on the wall beside a fountain, the white strands of hair covering the only visible part of his face.

"Eh? Byakuran-sempai?" Tsuna said. His voice was lost in the much louder vocals of the students, yet he was also glad that they had drowned him out. It was when the crowd dimmed that he noticed to whom the white-haired upperclassman was conversing with; the girl was shorter by a few inches, and from Tsuna's view, she looked _very_ much like a certain sexual harasser. She however, unlike the arrogant blue-haired junior, seemed uncertain of herself. The female student was clutching her arm in an almost humiliated way. Tsuna felt he was intruding in something, so without further ado he shuffled to Physics hurriedly, failing to notice the two pairs of eyes trained on his fleeting form.

"...so the idiot said, and I quote, 'I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.'" Gokudera scowled at the memory, striding alongside Tsuna. "The carefree idiot also has on a stupid grin that I can't wait to wipe off permanently with nuclear dynamite."

Tsuna gaped, alarmed. "Y-you can't do that, Gokudera-kun!" The silver-haired male stopped his inner aggressive exertion on a certain baseball fanatic and turned to grin brightly at his boss.

"You're right, Jyuudaime!" The latter sighed in relief. "It's better if I bomb him outside of the Academy after all – much less of a hassle that way. Ingenious, boss!"

Tsuna's sigh got caught in his throat, inducing his splutters and coughs of indignation. The taller male pounded his back anxiously, calling out worriedly to check if he was all right. "Y-you c-can't do that e-either, Gokudera-kun..." rasped the brunet.

"Are you all right, Jyuudaime? Did someone poison your food? Do you have an enemy here at the school? I'll go beat them up for you, so don't worry!" Gokudera was swearing how he would do away the culprits one by one when they entered Study Hall, period seventh. The mysterious trio was nowhere to be found during either lunch or Advisory, causing Tsuna to wonder if they would ever show up at all. He was reminded of the incident with the female Mukuro look-a-like whom was interacting with the white-haired teen. With only a side-view of the upperclassman, Tsuna couldn't tell whether he was smiling or not.

Not that it mattered. Of course.

The rest of the period passed drowsily quickly with Gokudera being uncharacteristically silent, preoccupied with analyzing his set of homework. Tsuna was surprised to see the jade-eyed male wearing spectacles, but he kept it to himself. He could sense the fangirl aura radiating from the females behind Gokudera, but the silver-haired man himself didn't notice it. As the brunet fished for his own assignment, he mulled over the strange occurrence of the whispered voice in his mind. He should inquire Reborn of this when school was over.

* * *

"Reborn!" Tsuna cried as soon as he was let out of the BMW. Basil was behind him, smiling warmly. The infant was found in the house sipping floral-scented tea and eating baked cookies, ignoring his student's outburst. The brunet stumbled on the floor in a hurry, feeling anxiety creeping up on him. "Reborn, how come I'm invited to the Halloween event?!"

The arcobaleno gulped the remaining tea with a refreshed sigh. "Another cup please, mama."

"Oh my, that was quick, Reborn-chan," Sawada Nana's voice came from the kitchen. "Is Basil-kun also here today?"

"Aye, ma'am," the brunet answered.

Tsuna gawked at his home tutor. "This isn't the time for that, Reborn! I've been hearing weird things since today." He finally got a reaction from the infant this time; Reborn glanced at him sharply.

"What things?" The arcobaleno thanked Tsuna's mom as she refilled his cup with Basil gratefully accepting a generous amount of cookies from her.

"It was something about a dream and inviting people to join him...or something like that. Anyway, you've got to do something about it!"

"I believe the Halloween Special is on this Friday." What should've had been a question was instead a statement, but Tsuna didn't think Reborn needed to be under any guise since he was the one who set up the radical invitation. Tsuna groaned.

"As I said – "

"Sawada-dono," Basil intercepted with a smile, drinking from a zero percent milk carton. Tsuna paused, looking at him inquiringly. "Dost you knoweth some of the most powerful families in the world of this era?"

Tsuna was taken aback by the question. "Uh..." He could tell that Reborn was inwardly scoffing at his pathetic display, but he couldn't for the life of him feel the need to memorize things that he wasn't involved in. "Basil-kun, you mean like the...the Von – Vongola?" It pained him to say the name, deeming it impossible that he could ever be freed of the mafia (in which he did not belong).

"I see improvement, Tsuna," Reborn remarked coyly with a tiny curl of his lips. His student choked on his can of vanilla coke.

"Reborn-dono." The deep severity in the words made Tsuna focus on the light-haired brunet. The infant stirred, his large pupils tightening faintly. Basil continued solemnly, "Didst you receive the official Ninth's order?" Tsuna watched silently as they exchanged glances, wondering what sort of news the aged Vongola boss was likely to present.

"Vongola, Millefiore, Chiavarone, Estraneo," the words escaped Reborn's mouth. "Among the top-notch families, the Vongola and the Millefiore possess equal distributions of provinces in Italy, and as of the moment, we of the Vongola are entirely open to substantial attacks."

"Meaning," Basil explained with a grim nod, "if there is an advance from the Millefiore, we surmise the result to be unforeseeable. A war between the families and their alliances will be inevitable."

Tsuna looked from one to the other slowly. "This means..." he trailed off, considering the pros and cons. He didn't like what he was thinking. "This means," he exclaimed with a sudden speculation, "that there's a possibility that I'm under attack?!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, baka-Tsuna," was the arcobaleno's reply. "This simply means," Reborn said, setting his teacup aside on the table, "that we need to apply a remedy to the opposing ground between Millefiore and the Vongola." Tsuna stared at him expectantly. "The Ninth boss made a compromise with the Millefiore boss, and within the magnitude of the contract, the stiff relationship between we of the Vongola family and the Millefiore family will be settled by the consequence of the two heirs' compatibility."

The brunet was unable to warrant the probability of his tutor's supposedly definitive explanation. "Eh?"

"Sawada-dono, basically all Reborn-dono means is that you must befriend the heir of the Millefiore famiglia so that a Mafia War won't register into affect," Basil clarified helpfully with an encouraging grin. However concise the clarification was, Tsuna couldn't bring himself to like it one bit.

"Needless to say, if you were to defy a direct mission enforced on you by the Vongola Ninth, you will be exiled from Italy, vacated from your former home, and executed as a wanderer."

Somehow things always tended to end this way.

Wednesday and Thursday passed by relatively quickly, and with a thrust of pop quizzes and tests on Halloween Friday, Tsuna found himself stuck in between two bickering – well, one retorting and the other laughing –, ghostly dressed-up freshmen. The taller male, a carefree and laid-back baseball star who wore a raggedy zombie costume with grotesque brittle ribs poking out of the left side of the abdomen. The other, a vocally disruptive delinquent look-a-like, was Gokudera in all his fury, jabbing his index finger threateningly at the sportsman. The silver-haired male was sporting a flattering copy of a stitched Frankenstein with the exception of a stitched mask, and apparently Yamamoto was being accused of being a violator of creative rights by engaging in the same custom as to that of the righteous right-hand man of the Vongola Tenth. To this the clueless male could only give him a questioning look accompanying a light chuckle, leading Gokudera into another rant about this and that, with a follow-up of "And don't you _dare_ get too friendly with the Jyuudaime, you baseball fanatic!" when Yamamoto helped carry Tsuna's textbook.

"A-ah, it's all right, really, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna had squeaked when the self-proclaimed right hand man promptly brushed off the taller man's grip on the book and carried the load himself. The brunet was met with a dazzling grin and Yamamoto was victim to a murderous, triumphant glower.

They were heading to their Advisories, Yamamoto taking the stairs to the floor above with Gokudera and Tsuna walking to their own, consistently being barred in the way by exaggerated props such as angel wings. They occupied their seats in the homeroom, looking around at the Halloween costumes. They were more materialistic than the ones back in Namimori Junior High, and the girls seemed really intent on reproducing manga and anime beauty, flaunting their Gothic Lolita cosplay. Tsuna was dressed in normal school uniform, having found his own Halloween costume way too old-fashioned and embarrassing to express outwardly in school. Lancia-sensei was promptly attired in all black for Halloween, but besides the color, there was nothing exceptional in his dress code. And in came squeals of utmost adoration that bore itself trouble to Tsuna's poor eardrums – yet again.

"KYAAAAA, BEL-SAMA, BYAKURAN-SAMA, MUKURO-SAMA!!!!" was heard all over the room. Gokudera winced at the sound, swearing at the troublesome "ol' hags," as he put it. Tsuna was bracing his ears as he tried to look over the people out of their seats. There was Bel with his tiara, but instead of his trademark grin, his smile was a forced, twitching and annoyed line. Tsuna stood up for a better look, and saw, to his utter amazement and incredulity, the sadistic blond dressed in a black and white Lolita party dress, frills lacing the sleeves and a rose pinned to the puffy fringe stopping just above his knees. A crimson string ran from across his blond hair from a black rose tied to his crown, the string fluttering about near his ear. He was obviously dared to wear the dress, his untimely and forced innocent smile seeming least of all pure but more like demanding massive massacre at his feet. The cooing of the female students did nothing to improve his drastic murderous intent, to the delight of his peers. Mukuro was dressed accordingly as a prince, stealing Bel's self-acclaimed Halloween costume. He cast condescending smiles to his dear fans, but his eyes immediately sought for a particular person's. The chocolate brown orbs weren't on him, however, they had already flitted over to a certain white-haired junior.

Byakuran was surprisingly dressed in a male's kimono, the robe dainty silk splattered with roses and violets in fluorescent colors. A _kitsune_, or fox, mask was strapped sideways to his head. He looked like he was attending a Japanese festival in the summer, emanating charisma and grace as he smiled at the adoring females. Tsuna was astounded by the intensity of the trio's creativity and their ability to actually be able to pull off these out-of-the-norm Halloween costumes. Honestly, a maniacal Bel-sempai turned into the ideal Gothic Lolita cosplayer, Mukuro-sempai retaining a cool complexion while dressed as a _prince_, and lastly, Byakuran-sempai introducing summer on Halloween...

"Are you all right, Jyuudaime?" Gokudera asked, breaking his train of thought. Tsuna noticed that he was still standing like the rest of the class and he sat down with embarrassment. The Italian was peering at him worriedly.

"Y-yeah, just fine. I was just surprised..." replied Tsuna, chuckling sheepishly.

"Ushishishi~ I can't wait to get my hands on the stupid boss," Bel was heard. He was literally breathing steam at this point; a dark, ominous cloud hung over his head. A girl directed a comment towards him, and, not without satisfaction, the blond bared his teeth not unlike his Cheshire grin and sneered, "Do you want to be dismembered by the Prince?" It was a hard decision between squealing at the cutesy of Bel in his entirety and squealing in fear and terror. The girl decided on the former.

"All right, settle down, settle down, class," the homeroom teacher called, slamming a book on his oaken desk for affirmation. Instantly the class had silenced itself, gone were the squeals, conversations, and adoration. Lancia nodded with faint approval, leering at each and every one of the students. "Listen for announcements."

_Click_. A loud, screeching mechanical noise of protest, and silence. The class waited patiently, some of them giggling as they passed notes to each other. Tsuna looked around and saw a flock of girls seated around the popular trio.

"VOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Anymore of this and he'd be sent to the hospital. Honestly. Gokudera swore beside him, exerting ultimate and unfathomable force on an unlucky pen, snapping the utensil into pieces.

"All you pricks of Millefiore Academy, ARE YOU _hyped _FOR THE HALLOWEEN EVENT TONIGHT?" The intercoms were sizzling due to the unaccountable vocal rage. There were yells and whoops to commemorate the announcer. "Be there at seven sharp, one second late and you'll be _disqualified_, got it, you nitpricks?"

What hostility, Tsuna observed.

"Rules regarding the event," a difference voice replaced the previous roaring announcer, "you _must_ be dressed in the correct attire, your partner assigned to the first level with you must be there or else you'd both be disqualified, and any life-threatening injuries received in the event will be of no consequence to the Academy. Also, the first student to finish all of his or her tasks will be awarded a whopping hundred merits with an addition ticket to attend either the winter formal dance or a special free-of-charge winter expedition with another student in Italy during the holiday vacation. And...that is all. Have fun tonight." _Click_.

And the class became lost in an uproar, the girls teeming with unsuppressed excitement and the guys bawling it out about who would win the Halloween Event. It was a crazed event in Tsuna's opinion, but the most baffling thing was that he was _attending_ the aforementioned furor.

"Jyuudaime, I have my ticket to the event," Gokudera told him with barely hinged elation.

Tsuna looked over with a nervous smile. "Ah, r-really, Gokudera-kun? I'd rather stay at home, though..."

"No, Jyuudaime. If you're paired with me for the event, it'll be a _real_ thrill!" The jade eyes were beaming at him. Even Tsuna couldn't deny the fervor in that total adoration grin.

He was so going to try to talk his way out of this with Reborn. But he would try to not get his hopes up.

* * *

"...HIIIE! You can't be serious, Reborn! Why do I have to wear that?!"

"Stop the meaningless blabber." The arcobaleno made an irritated noise, tapping his foot impatiently as he snapped his fingers. "Basil."

"Aye, Reborn-dono?" The brunet appeared, looking questioningly into the unkempt bedroom.

"Restrict his movements – we need to perform immediate exorcism of a wandering evil spirit."

"Eh?"

Blindfolded, hands tied and feet meshed together, Tsuna gawked as he was being inhumanely handled by a cynical home tutor and his bright chauffeur. He was stuffed through what he could only assume to be some sort of a robe since it felt loose. They had also pinned something unto his head, but taking a look at the outfit beforehand, he knew it was a mage hat. He grumbled complaints when they rid of his pants and replaced them with another type, a spandex of some sort. Lastly, something was latched onto his robe. The blindfold and restraints were taken off and Tsuna stared dazedly up at the ceiling. Then someone steered him over to a full-length mirror and, despite knowing the layout of the ridiculous get-up, he still gasped in surprise. It was actually less outrageous than when he first laid eyes on it. It was just like the mage outfits in those video-games and anime; there was a long cape shrouding the white wizard robe, the collars were up to his jaw, and he was wearing beige snow boots. And also the white hat. Though he hated to be conceited, – for, what could he ever be proud of? – he had to admit that he looked like one of those mage apprentices.

"Excellent, Sawada-dono!" commended Basil cheerily. Reborn also had a hint of a smile.

"Hold this, Tsuna." He felt something cold brush his fingers and looked down. Reborn was handling a pure white rod with gold designs etched onto the surface, and situated on the top of the wand was a winged, crystal orb. It was a scepter. Tsuna ogled it, speculating that he'd rather die than be seen flaunting a magic staff in a wizard get-up. "What kind of mage are you if you don't wield a scepter?" Reborn said when he refused to touch the thing.

"Reborn-dono is correct, Sawada-dono," Basil threw in his two cents. With a groan, Tsuna reached for the staff – and nearly dropped it. Reborn "tsk"ed. The brunet wasn't counting on the unsuspecting weight the mace possessed. He grasped the scepter with a stronger force this time. Basil handed him a letter from Millefiore Academy, and with trepidation, Tsuna slowly began to read. The basis of the information consisted of how to solve the mystery of the Haunted Mansion: cooperate with designated partner on the first floor, collect all five cards from the suspects in _Alice Human Sacrifice_, and be the first to reach the top. This sort of school event was something he'd never heard of before. It almost seemed like a live-action rendition of a video-game. And what was the "Alice Human Sacrifice" thing that was mentioned in the letter?

"Six thirty, half an hour left," observed Reborn. He turned to Basil. "We should leave now."

"Aye."

Fifteen minutes later the three arrived on the outskirts of Millefiore Academy. Other cars were parked in front of the edifice, and ladies in flamboyant fashion labels strode out of the BMW's and the Mercedes-Benz. Tsuna trudged nervously alongside Basil and Reborn, trying to hide under the pointy mage hat. An entourage of the school came over and administered them to an enclosed area barred by a fortress behind the Academy where several hundred students were milling about. The night was cold and the wind whipped Tsuna's face, inducing a flush of color in his cheeks. He gaped at a looming Victorian cathedral-like mansion. It was massive beyond words, there were horrific gargoyle sculptures perched on the attics, dim candles were lit around the mansion that produced a solemn and haunted atmosphere, and the occasional rustle of leaves sent the air trickling with fear and excitement. Tsuna was feeling quite tense, and he deliberated if his assigned partner would show up. He hoped the person wouldn't be a bully of some sort...

"Pray pardon me, Sawada-dono," Basil said as he weaved through the students towards Reborn and Tsuna. "I wilt pick you up anon, prithee stay well 'til then."

"You're going, Basil-kun?" Tsuna asked with widening eyes. He didn't want to be left alone by himself – Reborn would make an uneasy companion.

"Aye. By your leave, Sawada-dono!" Basil said merrily, waving his arm as he disappeared into the forest leading back to the Academy.

"Don't worry," Reborn affirmed, and Tsuna looked down at him. "Shouldn't you be looking for your partner? You have ten minutes."

"How would I find him through all these people anyway?" complained Tsuna. He rubbed his cold cheeks to regain his circulation.

"Read the hints on the back of the letter, baka-Tsuna."

Truth be told, lettering in script was evident on the back. In bold prints on the top of the page read: **Hair:** green, **Eyes:** emerald, **Height:** 5'5 ft, **Weight:** 48.7 kg, **Quirks:** witty and impassive, **Preferred Color:** Grey, **Best Preferred of the Following Choices - Tonfa'ed, Katana'ed, Knife'ed, or Marshmallow'ed:** None of the Above...The list went on. Tsuna stared at the paper. This was more than just hints, it was transmitting personal information with disregards to the owner's consent. His partner would probably find out his favorite food, least favorite video-game, pet peeve...everything! Just how did they manage to uncover all this information was a phenomenon. He glanced horridly at Reborn, who was scanning the crowd with an unreadable expression. Maybe...it was possible, after all.

"Ah." Tsuna jumped as a hand touched his shoulder. An unfazed voice listed from behind him, "Height five foot four, weight forty-six point five, hair chestnut brown, eyes caramel brown, quirk is the runaway type...think I got one."

"Hiiie! Aren't you that guy I met a few days ago?!" exclaimed Tsuna out of sheer surprise. The green-haired peer was wearing a plastic frog hat and a magician attire that embodied suspicion. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, eyes roving over Tsuna's wizard robe.

"Ah!" he said as if hit with a realization of some sort. "You're that puny freshman who bumped into me."

Tsuna gaped. _Who are you talking about 'puny?!'_

Clap. Clap. Fran and Tsuna looked down at the arcobaleno. How they heard his gestures over the mob of students was a wonder. "One minute left," the infant warned, jumping onto the limb of a tree.

"Hm? Who's that baby and what's he doing here?" mused Fran, looking up at Reborn.

"U-uh, he's – " Tsuna tried to explain but he was interjected.

"Ciaossu. I'm Reborn, the best hitman in the world of the Vongola famiglia," Reborn introduced himself with a wry smirk.

_Arghhh, Reborn..!_ Tsuna was not amused.

"Ah!" Fran clapped his fist into his palm. "An arcobaleno, right?" He was met with a satisfied curl of lips. Tsuna was staring at his emerald-eyed peer in horror.

Suddenly all the candles flickered out, causing the dark to melt darker and the prattles and noises to still in an utter silence. All the students turned to face the entrance of the mansion where a tall, long-haired man was striding across the stone lane. He was wearing a ruffled trench-coat in the wintry breeze, and an eerie light emitting from a lantern produced a divine spotlight on him. There were murmurs coming from the audience now, and Tsuna found it hard not to shiver in the darkness.

"_Voooooooooiiiiii_, you pricks!" was the first thing that came out of the tall male's mouth. The students gave in to welcoming bellows of encouragement. Tsuna visibly sweat-dropped, realizing now who the lousy announcer was. "Are you all prepared to _die_ here?" There was more applause, and the man paused to a _'shiiing'_ sound as he unsheathed a glinting blade. Tsuna gasped in trepidation – the sword looked extremely pointy! The silver-haired male wielded the blade and swiped it swiftly through the air; several people backed into the crowd despite the distance between them and the man. "Get with your partner!" he ordered, and the students hastily reached their assigned peers, some in ridiculous outfits and others dressed like a cosplayer.

Tsuna glanced at Fran as he looked at him. "S-so, you're my partner...?" Tsuna asked with hesitation, regrettably forgetting the green-haired boy's name. He also wondered whom Gokudera was paired with.

Fran continued to gaze at him with an unfazed expression. "That's right, midget-kun."

"Midget-kun...?!"

He raised his hands in defense. "I mean, dwarf-san."

"Eh?!"

"VOOOIIIII, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Immediate quiet was granted. The tall man leaned on the hilt of the sword and glowered at the audience. "Get ready to enter the mansion! Fight for your lives! GO!" The massive grand doors creaked and swung open, letting out distilled air and mounted paranoia in relinquished darkness. Tsuna gulped as a steady wave of students was let in the entrance. He and his partner were only several rows behind. He chanced a glance at Reborn, but found the baby already gone – instead, a parting charm was placed in Tsuna's robe pocket. He fished it out and saw that the packet contained blue pills, and he had a relative idea of what they were – Basil was instructing on how to productively use Dying Will Pills just a mere hour ago.

"Let's go," the soft murmur of his partner shook him from the recess of his mind. Tsuna nodded tentatively as they passed the silver-haired man. There were guards dressed appropriately in black near the double entrances. As Fran and he emerged in the grand room, the shuffling of other students had disappeared – it was vaguely just themselves on the first floor. Tsuna shivered in the incarcerated silence, encasing himself with the scepter for warmth. He could barely see anything – just how were they going to find anyone or anything in this matter of darkness? The brunet tried to stay as close as possible to his partner without insinuating suspicion. Fran suddenly halted, and with Tsuna following like a shadow, the brunet yelped when he bumped into him from behind.

"EEEEEK!"

"Shh, I hear something," Fran shushed mysteriously, inching forward step by step. Tsuna was reluctant to follow, but with no other choice and he didn't want to be stranded alone, he hurried to pace alongside the green-haired male. There was something like light beyond in the utter abyss – Tsuna leaped with joy – floating in midair...

"U-u-u-WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, IT APPEARED!" Tsuna was sprinting for his life hectically down the eerie hallway, not stopping once to look back. He heard running footsteps coming from behind and he surged forward with every ounce of energy he possessed. Suddenly he felt himself falling into a soft cushion, causing him to blearily crack open an eye. He didn't even recognize himself in a small lounge, the walls white and the carpet a velvet red. Tsuna shuddered despite the warmth of the room, wondering where his partner was.

"F-F-Fran-kun?" he murmured. He had just recalled his name, too, when the person wasn't even here. He walked towards the door that he had unconsciously torn open and then promptly shut. Yet he didn't have the chance to open it again because a blur of frog head had slammed the door open and came in screaming bloody murder. "Fran-kun?! What's wrong?" Tsuna asked worriedly with anxious eyes. His partner was panting as he laid on a luxurious sofa.

Fran gulped. "Someone was chasing me."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Tsuna inquired dryly, backing away from the door in case of sudden attacks.

"It was...it was a...ah, I can't say it," he moaned, burying his face into the furniture. Tsuna's spirit was in need of dire repair, if his fragile heart didn't receive one first.

"W-what was it, Fran-kun?" prompted Tsuna vaguely, distantly, as though he wanted both to hear and to ignore the answer. Suddenly the frog hat's owner raised his eyes from the sofa with a sly and impudent grin. "W-w-what?" the brunet veered back, mouth drying.

"It was a..._ghost_." The last word would've been a likely joke in any other situation other than this, but as this was an ordeal that was more plausible than not, Tsuna was shamelessly squealing in terror.

"You can't be serious, Fran-kun!" Tsuna exclaimed, appalled. His legs were tingling fearfully.

"I am – " Fran started, but his response trailed off as the lights in the lounge flickered shut; they were once again back in the blind. Tsuna squeaked frightfully, rushing and stumbling over to his partner.

"_Ushishishishi~_..."

"HIIIIEE! What's that noise?!" Tsuna half-whispered, half-shouted urgently. Fran frowned, but his gesture went unnoticed in the dark. And then the lights were back on, albeit more dimly. There were things drifting from the ceiling in vast amounts; Fran caught one and did a once-over.

"Card of spade..." he murmured blankly. Tsuna snatched one too, from the air. Fran unfolded a paper from his pocket and turned to the back. The brunet watched him and the room with equal apprehension. After a few minutes, Fran finally uttered, "First Alice."

"First Alice?" echoed Tsuna.

"Read the letter, shorty-kun."

"'The First Alice bravely entered Wonderland, sword in hand," Tsuna paused and fidgeted, "We don't have time for this, Fran-kun!"

"We have to collect all five cards, and this letter is our clue. Plus we have no way out unless we each have the first card," Fran explained monotonously.

"What?!" Tsuna tried the door but found it surprisingly bolted shut from the outside. He groaned in anguish, looking pleadingly at Fran. The green-haired male shrugged.

"_Ushishishishi, you rabbits~,_" an eerie snicker echoed in the velvety lounge. Tsuna froze, glancing around nervously. Fran was looking up at the ceiling with an unidentifiable expression. Then the world turned upside down, the lounge had disappeared, and they were free falling in a black abyss. Tsuna was shouting for help and Fran just held on to his frog hat tightly. With '_thump_'s, the two landed squarely on their rears on a cold, hard floor.

"Ow..." Tsuna and Fran observed their surroundings, and with a thud of his heart, each realized his predicament. They were in a dark room with swaying chandeliers, the dim light cast over an eerie toys-ridden floor with crimson streaks contrasting against the white wall. The streaks looked like recently splattered blood... Tsuna and Fran shared a look, but before they could make a move, a familiar voice intruded from the darkness.

"_'The First Alice bravely entered Wonderland, sword in hand. Cutting down countless creatures, he __left a bright path in his wake. That Alice is in the forest, locked away like a criminal. Aside from the path he made in the forest, there is no sign that he existed._'" There was a faint chuckle of absolute malice, sending cold jabs of fear down Tsuna's spine. And yet he recognized that voice...The silhouette of a lithe figure was reflected in the moon's pale light, and with his memory stirring, Tsuna's eyes widened as he gripped his scepter. Fran glanced at his partner with a half-worried and half-phlegmatic gaze.

Tsuna took a deep breath. "B-Bel-sempai!"

"Tch." The room was suddenly bright white, causing Tsuna to shield his eyes and Fran to cover his. When they both recovered, they found the red streaks on the wall to be merely liquidized paint, the toys were tattered dolls, and a blond with an irritated grin leaning on the bedpost.

"Bel-sempai!" Tsuna cried with relief, his hammering heart dimming in fright. Fran looked from the blond to his partner with bored interest.

"You know this tiara-wearing guy?" he asked Tsuna. The brunet sweat-dropped.

"I'm Prince the Ripper, you idiot," Bel hissed, flicking knives nonchalantly at the green-haired male. Tsuna yelped, backing away. Thankfully Fran managed to dodge the daggers, but most of them had attached itself to his conspicuous frog hat.

"Aww, now these are stuck," moaned Fran as he tried to detach them to no avail. Bel smirked self-righteously, sauntering over to the two freshmen.

"Shishishi~, a wizard apprentice and a frog, what a strange pair," he remarked, grinning his trademark grin.

"Hey, at least I'm not a tiara-wearing self-acclaimed prince," countered Fran. Tsuna could feel an oncoming, violent one-sided fight proceeding so he steeled himself for a run.

Bel twitched. "You little...!" Fran dodged another array of flying knives, but in the process of doing so, he had flung himself to the side and consequently collided into Tsuna, causing the two to fall in a heap on the floor. "Ushishishi, pathetic~!"

"Urgh..." Tsuna groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head. Bel hovered over him, his Gothic Lolita cosplay gone and replaced with a striped shirt and black leather pants. The blond let go of two cards which landed in between Fran and Tsuna.

"Congratulations on keeping your heads intact and passing the first stage," Bel patronized with his Cheshire grin. The two each picked a card – it was a Spade with "Bel Victory" stamped over the symbol.

"So...the second road is now opened?" Fran inquired, roving over the card with satisfaction.

"Shishishi, maybe~..." Bel was drowned out by suddenly flooding darkness, and the next minute he was gone. The door leading to the outside of the toy room was opened. As Fran and Tsuna ended outside, they saw that the hallway was unsurprisingly deserted and depressed. There were two directions available – the right and the left. The partners shared a look.

"U-um, is this where we part, Fran-kun?" Tsuna asked timidly. He really didn't want to be left alone in this dangerous place.

"Yes."

"Well...I-I'll take the r-right then...if you don't mind," the brunet said. Contrary to his words, Tsuna didn't move one step. Fran smiled amusedly, taking the initiative and moving to the left. As he passed by, he placed a hand comfortingly on the trembling brunet's shoulder. Tsuna looked at him, surprised.

"A race to the finish, midget-kun," Fran said. Tsuna twitched at the offending nickname; nevertheless he gave a weak smile in response.

"If we're both alive by then...ahahaha..." The trailing footsteps indicated that Tsuna's partner had already made his path. He was undoubtedly alone. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna engineered himself to stay calm, to not at all cost break out in cold sweat, to not jump at the slightest sound...

_Ping!_

"EEEEEEEEEEK!" Tsuna screeched, jumping about a mile. He looked around wildly, his teeth chattering. He couldn't sense anyone's presence, so, calming down, he listened intensely. They were the sounds of musical note, a sorrowful rendition of Beethoven's renowned _'Moonlight Sonata.'_ Tsuna gulped. There was a yellow light seeping through from under a door somewhere ahead. Did he dare?

...Yes, he did dare. Taking a deep intake of breath, Tsuna braced himself with his scepter, holding it in front of him like a gun. He was getting closer to the door now, he could tell by the brighter light and the prominent vibrations of the song. Within a few seconds he had reached the doorknob. He could feel the sorrow and grief wash over him as he became audience to the solo play. Tsuna tentatively reached for the handle and turned it. _Moonlight Sonata_ was still playing – the pianist hadn't missed a note. The brunet steadied his heart and he peered into the dark room. There were floor-to-ceiling French windows illuminated by a cloudless full moon, and within the illumination a figure was noticeable. He was barely hunched over the grand piano, and the glint of the moon shone on his soft, silver hair. Tsuna gasped, his voice carrying over the tumult of sorrowful waves.

"_G-Gokudera-kun_?!"


	7. Trick and Treat

**Author's Note: **Wow, time flies by so fast. 3 Christmas...ah~ And once again _Buon Compleanno, Bel_ on his Dec 22nd birthday! And I luv every one of all my readers and reviewers!~ You guys motivate me so much! Those praises are getting to me~ *_huggles everyone_* I luv long reviews _*winks*_

This chapter is based on the Vocaloid, _Trick and Treat._

"_**Alice Human Sacrifice"** ~ Vocaloid_

_**"Trick and Treat"** ~ Vocaloid_

* * *

_Love Makes War_

Chapter 7

_Moonlight Sonata_ didn't relent in its grief, continuing to vibrate under the moonlit illumination. The pianist's long fingers trailed over the ivory keys, his face hidden in the darkness. Tsuna raised his voice as he stepped in tentatively, "Gokudera-kun? Is that you?" This time the silver-haired man did stop, if only for a split second, to glance at the brunet as he shuffled across the stone floor. He came close to the sidelines of the grand piano, his wide eyes traceable under the pointed hat.

"Gokudera – "

"_The second Alice meekly sang a song in Wonderland. Spreading out countless notes, he gave birth to a mad world."_ These words echoed eerily as they bounded off of the walls, but they appeared to not be Gokudera's doing as the pianist was suffused in the second movement of Beethoven's masterpiece. Tsuna stumbled back a step at the intrusion of the monotonous voice. "H-hiiie! Where did that come from?!" When he didn't receive a reply, he looked at the oblivious Gokudera with apprehension. This haunted mansion was really strange...everyone was acting out of character. The brunet trembled as he stepped closer to his silver-haired friend who was in a trance-like state, ending up lingering beside him on the chair.

"Jyuudaime..." a hoarse whisper escaped Gokudera's lips. Tsuna leaned in with surprise etched into his face, trying to hear better.

"Gokudera-kun?" he tried again, hoping to ease his friend into acknowledging his presence. He thought he had heard something, but the moonlit piece must've drowned it out. He almost gave up, but then a hand withdrew from the keys and tugged him gently into the unoccupied space beside the pianist. Tsuna flopped down with a gasp, and, looking at his friend, he could see the ghost of a smile on his face, made almost inconceivable under the pale light. The brunet himself sported a chaste smile in response, sitting awkwardly beside Gokudera. If his normally disruptive friend was feeling out of character in this forsaken mansion, he would just wait patiently and listen to the feelings expressed throughout this sorrowful masterpiece.

"_That Alice was a rose..."_ Tsuna jolted, his eyes widening. That voice again! He glanced around at the intruder, a silent gasp hanging on his open mouth. He jumped out of his skin when an ear-splitting _bang!_ sounded from nowhere. The brunet yelped at the abrupt noise, looking at his friend for assistance. What met his eyes was not his loyal self-proclaimed right-hand man of the Vongola, but rather a space of nothing occupied by a burst of crimson red roses drifting lazily onto the seat and the piano. "G-Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna spluttered, his body decreasing in warmth. Everything felt cold. Where was his silver-haired friend who would always be waiting for him? "Gokudera-kun!" He shouted this time, his hand unconsciously slamming the keys, the different notes colliding and creating a nonrhythmic piece.

"_Shot down by a madman, he makes one bright red flower bloom, admired by all as he withers." _The roses were turning into a crisp brown, withering as soon as they had bloomed. Tsuna sprang up from the chair, a fear-inducing grief and loneliness creeping down his spine. The area where Gokudera was just a few minutes ago was now covered with shriveled roses, and among the flowers was a spare card. The brunet picked it up cautiously, his fingers trembling. It was a Diamond card with a "Gokudera Win" stamped over the symbol, rather like the one he got from Bel.

"N-no way..." Tsuna murmured, clenching the card with a tight, quivering fist. His face was downcast, his figure an irresolute stance, and his shoulders drooped. What had happened? Where was Gokudera? What was going on? There were tons more questions he wanted answered, but he was wallowed up in misery and the mansion wasn't helping any bit. Suddenly there were warm hands covering his eyes, and with it, the sounds of fluttering clothes. Tsuna jerked, gasping as he spun around in his snow boots. There was a short girl attired in a strapless, lavender dress, her bright wide eyes smiling. A tiny club mark was noticeable on her cheek.

"Tsuna-kun?" the girl inquired, her head cocked to the side and her lips curved in a smile. The brunet stared at her in shock, his pulse quickening.

"U-um, you are...?" Gokudera had disappeared in a bloom of red roses, an unknown voice was following him, and now there was a young girl standing before him who knew his name. It was all too abrupt and puzzling.

The girl continued to smile cutely, her voice a happy chirp when she answered, "I am the Third Alice."

This was the first time anyone ever announced himself as an Alice. Tsuna looked at her questioningly. "Third Alice...?" Then, he felt a cool breeze drift past his shoulder, carrying with it the scent of spring. He gasped as he realized that he was in a garden of some sort, the flowers vibrant in color and the grass a perfect green. The Third Alice smiled warmly at his expression of wonder.

"_The Third Alice was a young girl, a beautiful figure in Wonderland. Deceiving countless people, she created a strange country. That Alice was the country's queen."_ Tsuna was starting to get accustomed to the technical voice, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of palpitation at the words. This girl looked innocent enough...what did the voice mean by 'deceiving people?' He blinked when the young girl took a hold of his hand gently, still smiling as her hair fluttered in the spring scenery. Tsuna blushed slightly, a tentative grin tugging at his lips. It felt like they were in another world, away from the horror of the haunted mansion and the sudden disappearance of Gokudera...The brunet was brought back by the thought of his friend, and all of a sudden the garden was gone, warped into the same dark room which occupied the grand piano. Tsuna looked about confusedly, realizing that the girl was no longer there.

"Third Alice-san?" he called, his voice trembling. The sound bounded back to him, resulting in an ominous echo. He squeaked frightfully when a faint giggle sounded from around the room. "W-who's there?" he yelped, inching backwards and nearly tripping over the hem of his robe.

"_Possessed by a warped dream...fearing her decaying body, she ruled from the summit of the country." _The uncanny, girlish giggle melted into a hollow rebound. Tsuna looked around wildly, fear gripping his every sense. Then, a _thud!_ behind him made him turn with a hypersensitive squeak. His eyes widened in shock as he took in the mass before him, a rickety cry for help hanging on his tongue, and eventually his eyes clenched tightly shut as he gave off an ear-splitting scream. He could see the silhouette of a young girl in a familiar lavender dress bloodied on the ground, the metallic red seeping into the stone floor, her mouth agape in a horrified manner, the whites of her pupils impossibly wide, a barely visible maniacal slash across her neck...Tsuna took an awry step back, hands like shutters over his eyes, displaying only minimal vision. There was an uncomfortable lump in his throat, his mouth parched and aching from his outburst, and his thought process stuck on low battery.

Something fluttered downward from the ceiling and grazed his cheek. The brunet blinked, causing the tears frozen around his wide, brown eyes to slither down his jaw. His quivering fingers grasped the envelope, and all of a sudden everything in his surrounding gave way to a whirlwind. Tsuna squeaked, clinging to his scepter and the letter as the ground he was standing on whirled into an earthen floor, ridden with leaves and dirt. The girl who was mysteriously murdered was gone, much to his relief. Tsuna observed the green canopy of the new enclose, his surprise decimated to a zil. He was just glad that he didn't have to face a bloodied body. With a frown, the brunet parted the envelope and took out two things, a card of Club with a "Uni Win" stamp, and the other an invitation note.

"I wonder what happened to the Third Alice," Tsuna murmured, and as his voice came back to him in the dead silence, he shivered. It was too scary, this enclosed wood and his being by himself. He was definitely going to have a _long_ talk with Reborn once he got home. Yes, _when_, and not _if_. With this determination as his motivator, Tsuna proceeded to read the context of the note after he stuffed all of the other Alices' cards into the envelope. The letter in scrawls read: _"Following the small path through the forest, having tea beneath the rosebush, the invitation card from the palace was the Ace of Hearts."_ The note made little sense, but as Tsuna flipped it to the other side, he saw the symbol Ace of Hearts.

_This is only a game_, he assured himself, but the comfort didn't stop him from yelping when a company of birds shot out from their nest, squawking as they raced the blue sky. _Gah! This is embarrassing!_ Tsuna berated himself, sighing as he trudged onwards by following a path of stones lining the earthen ground. This was like the story of...what was its name? Anyhow, the story of two kids lost in the woods and eventually became meal to a hungry witch. Tsuna shuddered at the thought. What was he thinking? Scaring himself in the middle of nowhere, and even worse, when he served solitude in the woods. He secretly wished that there really wouldn't be any sort of dangerous specimens (such as witches) in this forest.

Tsuna came to a stop as iron gates protruded from the leaves and trees. He gulped as he saw an eerie mansion not unlike the one he was supposed to be in for the Halloween Event rise from beyond the gates. The brunet considered running, but even he knew the outcome of this plan. This was something he must finish, whether he wanted to or not. As he approached, he leaped back when the gates steadily creaked open, dragging across the leaves-ridden ground. Taking a deep intake of breath, Tsuna assured himself that no harm would come his way and he was as safe as a sound. _Urgh, who am I kidding?_ He shook his head, took a deep intake of breath, and cautiously stepped inside the gates. They clang shut behind him.

"W-wait!" Tsuna insisted, turning around. They were tightly shut, and there was no way out. He sighed, facing the humongous doors of the mansion with dread. His white cloak swayed to an autumn breeze. The entrance complied upon his intrusion, and Tsuna almost danced in relief when he saw that it was just like a rich estate and darkness was nonexistent. He didn't resist when the doors trapped him in this time, deeming it hopeless to relent in this horrific rendition of fun. At least the chandeliers swaying were brightly lit, the paintings along the walls were not Mona Lisa and company, and he was allowed the courtesy of sight.

"Welcome, our guest," a sweet but monotonous voice endeared from the top of the staircase. Tsuna looked up and saw a familiar purple-haired girl wearing a pretty, sky blue, spaghetti-strapped and belted linen dress. She wore an eye-patch over her left eye. His cheeks were painted a light pink at her presence, and he tried to speak coherently.

"A-ah, you are?" Besides the female, someone else had appeared attired in a formal, all-black tuxedo. With his mismatched eyes, one a crimson and malicious red, and the other a deep blue, Tsuna knew right away who he was.

"Oya, oya, Chrome. What have we here?" Mukuro's smooth voice said from the staircase. He was smirking at the brunet's white magician attire, and Tsuna blanched visibly, not fully liking the predator glint.

"H-hiiie! Mukuro-sempai!" squeaked Tsuna as he inched several steps back. The duo descended the stairs gracefully in unison with the girl named Chrome holding the length of her dress by her fingertips and Mukuro guiding her with his hand. They were coming closer, Tsuna thought anxiously. Yet he was also relieved that he was no longer alone, despite the weary companions he was sure to gain.

"Kufufufu...so our adorably lost guest has finally endeared us with his presence."

"Eek! Don't come any closer!" Tsuna cried, enforcing the boundary with his scepter. To this, the upperclassman merely chuckled at his antic, and the girl also had a barely noticeable curved smile. The brunet sweated. To think they would be intimidated by his irrational self-defense was more than humiliating.

"I am glad you've made it through the other Alices, Sawada-kun," the soft murmur of Chrome's voice calmed him.

Tsuna smiled with mild embarrassment, but when he remembered his encounter with the Third Alice, a frown formed. "U-um, are you the Fourth Alice?" he asked apprehensively, looking to and fro.

"Correct, Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro said, and with a flick of his wrist at the staircase just like a host would to his guest, he suggested in his sultry, barely condescending voice, "Shall we head upstairs?" Seeming as there was no other choice, the brunet nodded tentatively, and followed the formally attired duo up the steps. They passed the many paintings lined along mahogany walls, strolled across the European-styled hallway, and finally came to a stop in front of a door.

"I-is this it?" Tsuna voiced apprehensively as Mukuro unlocked the door with a gold key. The brunet didn't catch the sly exchange between Chrome and her counterpart. "Wow," Tsuna admired as he came inside, looking around at the exclusive silver armors of the Medieval Ages that stood erect with their faces hidden behind iron clasps, their palms resting on sheathed sabers and blades. There were four lifeless soldiers in each corner of the room, and in the middle of the chamber was a round table. On it rested layered vanilla cakes with strawberries decorated on top, cream puffs of different delicacies, tea sets, and other desserts fit for a miniature tea party. The brunet was led to the table by the gracefully ecstatic duo.

Mukuro dipped his finger into a cake, brought it up to his lips and licked it cleanly off. He smirked at the honest display of strained courtesy on the brunet's face.

"T-that's..." Tsuna began, but he couldn't find anything to describe the teen's actions. Unsanitary? Yes. Unhygienic? Naturally. But they weren't at all nice words.

"Do you want to try some, Tsunayoshi-kun?" asked Mukuro coyly, already dipping his finger in for another taste.

"N-no thanks," he said quickly, shaking his head. His rebuttal went unnoticed by the sadist as he leaned in, trailing a fingertip over the brunet's bottom lip and smearing white icing over it. Tsuna squeaked in protest, bringing his hand up to wipe it away, only to have Mukuro restrict his movements with both of his hands. All this time Chrome had not said a word, instead she was busily setting up the tableware and pouring tea into the china cups, a flickering light reflected on the glass by chocolate-scented candles.

Mukuro smiled all too politely. "Oh my, what a mess you've made, little one. Do you need help, Tsunayoshi-kun?" he offered, gesturing at his cake-smeared lip. Tsuna gawked in disbelief.

"I-I'm all right, Mukuro-sempai." The brunet blushed and struggled against the grip on his hands, and he became surprisingly free. Mukuro had turned at the smell of elegant and organic tea, the aroma casually drifting from its destined containers.

"Kufufu, what splendid aroma this is, my dear Chrome," the older teen commended. Tsuna firmly wiped off any trace of cake on him, swiping his tongue across his lips and finding the taste sugary-sweet. The brunet had therefore missed yet another exchange between the duo, this time with Mukuro smirking slyly and Chrome bearing a rather secretive smile. The brunet sighed as they beckoned him to take a seat, vying to stay as far as possible away from the perverted upperclassman. They each took a sip of his or her cup, and with his companions sporting very animated conversations, Tsuna was starting to feel somewhat drowsy. Maybe the anxiety and fear of this game were starting to creep up on him. But he couldn't sleep here...! Why was he feeling so sleepy? As his head drooped onto the lacy covering of the table, he was aware of eyes devoid of emotion watching him.

Mukuro set his teacup aside, leaning into his palm with amusement. "Oya oya, he succumbs rather quickly...it makes me wonder." There was a chuckle.

"Yes, Mukuro-sama," agreed Chrome. She dug into her plate of cake with a silver fork.

"_The Fourth Alice was twin children, entering Wonderland out of curiosity. Passing through countless doors, they had only just recently come,"_ Mukuro recited with closed eyes, an ironic smile playing on his lips.

Chrome nodded, continuing the verse monotonously, _"A stubborn sister..."_

"_...and an intelligent brother,"_ finished her sibling.

"_They came the closest to being the true Alice, but..."_ The two turned to look at the brunet in slumber, each with an eerie smile that flickered into something dark in the candlelight.

"_They won't wake from their dream..."_ Tsuna groaned, reaching to rub his eyes tiredly, only to find that his hands were bound tightly by something. The brunet stirred, straining against the thing, and voices in unison faintly tugged at the corners of his conscience. _"They're lost in Wonderland...land...and...nd...d..."_ Tsuna immediately shot awake, his vision coming back fully. Except all he saw was pitch black. Pitch black darkness.

"HIIIE! W-what's going on?!" Tsuna yelped, trying his hardest to see through the blackness. At the sound of cheerful laughter, he tensed, noticing how raggedy his breathing had become. He also realized that he did not become blind, but rather a blindfold was placed over his eyes. At the thought he became unnaturally still, listening for any other movement.

"Kufufu, Chrome, is that cake really that sweet?" Mukuro's lone voice protruded from the darkness, ignoring the awakening of the kidnapped one. Tsuna twitched, trying to feel around with his feet. The girl didn't reply, but the clattering of knives against plates did the talking for her. All of a sudden a gasp escaped, and the brunet strained his ears for better idea of the situation. Tsuna winced when something shattered on the floor, and with his luck, the blindfold that was restricting his vision came loose, loose enough for him to peek through his one eye. The brunet saw a knife accidentally dropped from the table and came slicing through a chocolate cake, cutting the strawberry in half. He gulped.

"Awake?" Mukuro said, and instantly Tsuna became hyper-alert.

"W-w-what happened to me? Why am I tied up?" the brunet cried, yanking his wrists for emphasis. The notion hurt, actually, and he grimaced in pain.

"Kufufu...please do calm down, Tsunayoshi-kun," the baritone voice of Mukuro almost made him relax. Almost.

Tsuna shook his head as he tried to make the blindfold loose. It was really uncomfortable looking through one eye, and he wondered how Chrome managed it. A chuckle followed by footsteps froze him in place, and with delicate procedures, Mukuro severed the ropes and untied the blindfold. Tsuna let out a sigh of relief, rubbing his wrists, so overwhelmed by the liberty of having his sight and freedom back that he didn't even mind the close proximity. It was when a finger tilted his chin up and he was looking into mismatched, fraudulent eyes that he became alarmed.

Mukuro smirked. "What a nice expression, Tsunayoshi-kun."

The brunet paled considerably, hands itching to push the male away. "Y-y-you!" he stammered instead, and at the quirked eyebrow in response, he continued in a shamed voice, "You put something in my drink!" Tsuna was met with a surprisingly genuine laughter, and his wide eyes must've expressed the bewilderment in them, for even Chrome gave in to giggles. He blinked, wondering what was so amusing.

"Kufufu, nothing of the sort," Mukuro finally replied, his laughter dying into a low chuckle. Tsuna stared at him suspiciously, and he looked like he was ready to go off into another round of merriment had it not been for Chrome.

"Sawada-kun, you have gained entrance to the final stage of the Halloween Event," she said.

"The final stage?" Tsuna inquired, looking up at the duo from where he was sitting on the floor. They each outstretched a hand for the brunet, and he complied tentatively by placing his into their warm ones. He thanked Chrome as he received his scepter from her. Mukuro had procured a card in between his index and middle fingers, and he handed it over to Tsuna. The brunet took it and saw that it was card of Hearts with a Mukuro & Chrome stamp. He was on his way. Tsuna was about to thank the duo, looking into eyes of mirth and tricks, at the whimsical smirk and smile, when he felt the area he was standing on give way. His eyes widened and his mouth formed an "o."

"EHHHHH?!"

And Tsuna was free-falling through the trapdoor, his scream echoing all around him. He clenched his eyes shut as he landed on something soft with an "oomph!" The brunet glanced around wearily, noticing the white interior walls and the comparably white bed with orchid petals lying scattered across the fluffy sheet. He pulled himself up, observing the opaque, glass window that separated this junction of the room to another. He looked at the wide closet doors and at the comfortable and tidy furniture such as the comfy sofa and the leather armchair next to a worktable. What now? Tsuna's attention reverted to the glass frame as it slid open. The brunet dreaded anxiously as to who would appear this time, but then his whole body froze and his blood refused to circulate properly when an all too familiar white-haired upperclassman emerged. He was wearing a casual, wool robe for after-showers, the water drops steadily dripping down his neck, and he seemed to have been as unexpected to Tsuna's arrival as the brunet was to his entrance.

"B-B-Byakuran-sempai?!" Tsuna cried, his appearance still disheveled from his earlier incidents and adventures.

Byakuran's piercing lilac eyes looked as surprised as he felt, although much more welcoming than his own internal churning. "Tsunayoshi-kun?" The brunet nodded, pinkish tints painting his cheeks at the rather exposed and well-toned – did he really just note that? – chest made visible by the low v-neck of the robe. He was forced out of his reverie, though he claimed he never was in one, by the next question asked by a seemingly very amiable Byakuran. "What are you doing in my house?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Are you ready...for - _beep!_

Anyway, please do expect the mush and mash of 10027 =3. And thanks everyone for teh encouragement! But really, I surprise myself with my weekly updates.


	8. Like a Circus

**Author's Note:** No excuse for delayed chapter. Well, actually, I do. :O Currently working on a Valentine project with _Self-Proclaimed Androgynous_, and so will be busy until February 14th.

_Thanks to:_ _-w- easy enough_ for differentiating between "tsundere" and "yandere" :3

_And:_ Everyone else for reading and reviewing and faving and whatever it is that you do.

I do love those spams, Androgynous my luv.

**_"Circus"_** _~ Britney Spears_

* * *

_Love Makes War_

Chapter 8

_Recap: _"What are you doing in my house?"

"H-hii?!"

Byakuran chuckled, a light-hearted yet misleading melody. Tsuna spluttered nonsensical protests as he hastily tried to escape the affluent, orchid-cluttered bed. He almost couldn't make sense of the abrupt circumstance he was – without heed or warning, he'd like to think of it as – thrust into. He must've looked pathetic, Tsuna reflected, dressed up in the ridiculous get-up while fumbling around on an upperclassman's _bed_. The brunet ceased his unintelligible yapping when he saw Byakuran leisurely smiling at the foot of the bed, conveniently barring his exit. Tsuna gawked wordlessly, now dreading anxiously and debating whether he should be more embarrassed for himself or angry at the whole ordeal.

Byakuran's white hair was wet, and the droplets of water slid down his neck and curved around his collarbone, ending in a forbidden trail into the v-cut of his bath robe. Tsuna gulped, prickly tinglings running up and down his spine, and vaguely he wondered whether he was more nervous about the situation at hand or the presence of the eccentric upperclassman himself. He was driven from his thoughts when said junior leaned in abruptly, his face mere inches from Tsuna's, and two slender arms pinned him from where he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Eek! Byakuran-sempai?" squeaked Tsuna.

Byakuran's lilac eyes peered at him; a cool inspection through eye-to-eye contact, to which the latter froze and stared unblinkingly back at. Suddenly an amused smile flickered unto the other's lips, and the tension miraculously loosened a few strings. Byakuran said in a light-hearted tone, "Well, Tsunayoshi-kun has dropped by at a rather convenient time." Before the brunet could utter an interjection, he continued, "Why don't we play a game of chess?"

"Chess?" inquired Tsuna, his wide chocolate brown orbs blinking confusedly. When he remembered that he still needed to win the last Alice card, he shook his head and protested, "N-not right now, Byakuran-sempai. I, um, have a m-mission that I - "

"Unfortunately," Byakuran cut him off with a bright grin, rising to a standing point and turning his back on Tsuna, sauntering casually into a walk-in closet the size of a garage, "letting a guest go without proper hospitality would be very rude of me, won't you agree, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"I..." started the brunet, not finding anything to refute the elder's inquiry with. Tsuna clutched his scepter with a clumsy hand as he sat still on the bed, and in a tentative voice he said, "I have something to do, Byakuran...sempai?!" The last word came out as a squeak because at that exact moment, the aforementioned upperclassman had emerged from the closet half-naked, his bottom half covered with belted black pants and his top bare, exposing healthy, model-like skin and toned arms and abdomen. "HIIII!" Tsuna cried as he scurried backwards until he hit the bedpost, his cheeks a flaming red.

Byakuran was reaching for a silk white shirt that was carelessly slung over the back of a leather chair when he heard the girly squeak. He grinned, relishing in the amusing brunet as he buttoned the comfortable attire from the top down. Turning to face the Vongola, he teased, "My, my, is something the matter?"

Tsuna hastily shook his head, and upon the action, the white mage hat slipped off of him and fluttered to the bed, introducing his now bare, flattened and tousled brown hair. Byakuran smiled not unkindly, laughter ringing throughout the room; a sound that Tsuna couldn't help but to slip in a sheepish smile and chuckle uncertainly along with. But the momentary amity lasted briefly, for Tsuna was now aware of a chessboard being set up on the worktable with the dueling pieces – both black and white – being neatly placed accordingly.

"Uh, Byakuran-sempai?" began Tsuna apprehensively.

"Hmm?" came the easy response.

He shifted so that his beige snow-boots weren't digging into the white, silk sheets, and then spoke with trepidation, "I, uh, _really_ can't play chess." Tsuna dreaded anxiously until a single finger from the other beckoned him over. Gulping, he crept unsteadily off the bed, shuffling across the marble floor and winding up besides Byakuran. He expressed outward embarrassment when the piercing eyes assessed his mage robe, but not a remark was made, though a knowing smile made up for the sworn silence.

"Take a seat," said Byakuran, his angelic but devious smile still radiant as he pulled out a chair. Tsuna spared him an uncertain look before nodding and awkwardly sitting down on the wooden surface. He felt the white-haired host shift; a muffled sound, and then suddenly a warm breath was ghosting over his ear and making his stomach do unwarranted flip-flops. He froze, eyes widening and brown irises tingling in round eyes. "Cooperate with me," breathed Byakuran, and Tsuna involuntarily shivered. The other was resting his hands on the arches of his chair, and leaning in, he continued in a light and teasing tone, "Or else I just might have to kiss you, Tsu-na-yo-shi-kun~."

"H-HIII?!" Tsuna whirled around, insides churning uncomfortably when he looked up at the lithe figure of Byakuran, his lips curled into something between a smirk and grin as he chuckled throatily. The brunet gaped, bright pink spotting his cheeks.

Byakuran sauntered over to the opposite end, pulling the chair out from the worktable and sliding into it casually. His pale violet eyes opened to peer at chocolate brown with inexplicable curiosity, the gaze piercing and calculative. Tsuna felt a lump forming in his throat, his voice stuck along the mass. A moment later, Byakuran reverted into his amiable self, eyes smiling and lips pulled into a grin. Holding up a black knight and examining it briefly, he said, "You have the white pieces, Tsunayoshi-kun. You will have the advantageous start. Hmm, fair enough?"

Tsuna sweated, but he didn't think he had an escape route in this circumstance. He did wonder, though; why was Byakuran-sempai this tolerable with his sudden appearance? How did he end up in this place? Also, he really wasn't supposed to be wasting time entertaining his senior – he wanted to finish up this game of Alice in Wonderland and be done with it!

"Tsk, tsk, Tsunayoshi-kun," Byakuran's cordial voice warned him, causing the latter to veer from his thoughts and to chance upon the chessboard. He was losing terribly, he could tell, even by his dim knowledge of the intellectual world of chess. Tsuna sighed, his eyes quickly catching the calm exterior of the upperclassman, the teen's face still smiling nonchalantly as he steered a bishop to consume the brunet's pawn. Tsuna groaned inwardly, but he couldn't muster enough motivation and courage to fully insert his all into this game. He looked down, aware of the other's attention focusing on him, and tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth. He had a choice between offense and defense; to eat or to defend. Was that piece a queen or a bishop? Tsuna mentally slapped himself. But he had sealed his fate by the consumption of a black pawn.

An amused chuckle escaped Byakuran, and instantly the brunet tasted defeat. "Checkmate, Tsunayoshi-kun." His king clattered to the side as the other's queen nudged him from his throne. Tsuna stared wordlessly, wondering what was going to happen now. Now that they had finished their chess game. "This won't do," the white-haired teen affirmed, standing up from his seat.

Tsuna closed his eyes in preparation for the punishment, his quavering voice panicking, "Hiiii! I'm so sorry, Byakuran-sempai! I really, _really_ can't play chess!" Pleasant laughter was present after his embarrassing rant, and Tsuna slowly peeked through an eye. Byakuran was not in front of him. In actuality, everything that he knew to be wasn't in view, because now he was facing a balustrade of raised platforms surrounding him on all sides, a box protruding from the wall; a gallery open to the public spectators, and rows upon rows of masked mannequins peering at him from their seats on the railings. He gasped, his head turning round and round only to absorb more stone dolls staring eerily at him. Tsuna's head was spinning now. Nothing was making sense. Where was Byakuran-sempai? Where was _this_? How did he get here?

Just where...was he?

_Bang!_ Tsuna jumped at the sound of a hammer knocking against wood, which then echoed throughout the courtroom. He looked up and saw equally masked men with grey hair sitting behind a long table, each intimidating in his own way and frightening to gaze upon. He was really panicking now, and he spun around to see if there was anyone who was not hiding behind a mask. There was total and absolute silence when Tsuna abruptly stood up from the bench he didn't remember being seated on. He gulped unsteadily, hands clenching and quivering around his scepter.

"Let's not scare our target, now, shall we?" a suave and familiar voice assuaged the tensed judges. There were murmurs in agreement coming from the men, and Tsuna swiveled to look at the outspoken person among the shadowed ones, a mask covering his eyes like the rest. But his spiky white hair was conspicuous under the lighting, and with his heart leaping and lurching, Tsuna cried out anxiously, "Byaku - "

"Silence!" boomed the judge, once again banging his hammer.

_HIII! Scary!_ Tsuna thought to his consternation. He gradually took a seat on the bench after his knees gave out on him. It was terribly dreadful an event he was in – nothing made sense, and it didn't seem like anything would. But still, Byakuran-sempai was here, wasn't he? But...why wasn't he stopping this madness? Tsuna shifted apprehensively at the troublesome thought, his eyes automatically searching for comfort in that mask; in that painfully mocking smile.

"Have you any idea why you are being judged?" a hoarse, dark voice inquired from behind the table.

Tsuna shook his head, tongue-tied. His knees were still wobbly. He looked over in time to catch ominous smirks on shadowed faces. The brunet didn't feel at all encouraged. Tsuna gasped when a masked and robotic guard came to him and snatched his scepter away, the notion both violent and impassive. The brunet yelped, fear gripping his whole body and tensing him up considerably. The judges were unsympathetic; they nodded at the guard in approval before leering at him, the condescending gazes seeping cold and unpitying vibes. Tsuna juddered, his body going numb at the prevalent stares focused on his figure.

"No?" The one word was endlessly mocking. They were convinced that he was lying.

"I-I...where am I?" Tsuna stammered, now feeling hopelessly vulnerable without his one source of support – his scepter. The mannequins weren't supposed to talk, but they did. They were saying something, and hushed whispers they were. The voices were barely audible, and he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him. Yet if his mind was, he wouldn't be seeing this place at all.

"You are on trial for the improper use of magic. You have been condemned of abusing your powers by attempting the forbidden incantation of _la vita e la morte_, with the intention to revive the deceased from the dead."

Somewhere, a clock ticked past one minute. Tsuna could hear blood pounding in his head. "W-what? Magic? W-what do you mean? I've never - "

"There is no use in denying your sin," a voice cut in. The brunet shut up immediately, his mouth clamping shut and lips quivering in anxiety. A judge raised his hand, and in response a bell chimed. "We will now castigate your wrongdoing with the judgmental right of execution."

"Execution?" yelped Tsuna, who had leaped up at the foreboding statement. The judges said nothing, and even when he sought the one person he knew in this havoc, Byakuran had merely turned his head to the side. Tsuna dreaded anxiously, mouth agape at the prospect of the upperclassman's intentional evasion, and followed the other's gaze. There were ominous creakings of hinges as two entrances from either side of the courtroom gradually rolled up. Threatening gnarls and deep growls could be heard, and in addition to those sounds were the hungry lapping of saliva at the corner of mouths. Prickly sensations jabbed Tsuna along his spine, and he was well aware of the cannibalistic auras seeping through the gates. Inch by inch, sharp claws tapped the waxed floor, along with it the swishing of long, furred tails in the air. This...couldn't be happening. There was another deep growl, and this time Tsuna could feel intense and rapturous animal eyes peering at him from both ends of the courtroom.

A bell chimed once again. "Let the judgment commence!"

Tsuna didn't cry for help; he had already gulped down two of the Dying Will pills. Somehow he knew it would end up like this. Reborn hadn't chosen to give them to him "just in case" - he had calculated the need for his student to use them. It was also to be expected that he would be put under pressure to test his resolve and to evaluate his progress thus far. Tsuna sidestepped a leaping tiger with a speed matching his animal peer, blocking himself with his iron gloves just as sharp, canine fangs clamped down. Wincing slightly, hyper mode Tsuna lifted a leg and knocked aside the other tiger which was prowling him from behind. It landed backwards with a devastated yowl and hungry growls. The fangs of the one before him were trying to dig deeper into the mantle. Tsuna grimaced; he didn't want to do this. But he had no other choice, either. He struggled against the clasp of teeth, and outstretching his other arm, he brought it back down and dealt an effective blow into the tiger's head, causing its immediate lapse from the world. It sprawled over the floor with twitching limbs.

He could feel the intense inspection from the spectators, but he spared them no mind. There was one more to go. The second tiger was furiously eying him, prowling around in a circle with languid and deliberate steps. Tsuna readied himself, his fiery orbs predicting the animal's next move. The tiger tensed up, and instinctively, so did he. It was going to spring. Tsuna dodged the fierce tiger as it charged towards him, and the animal clawed at the ground to steady itself, its body dragging over the surface in a semicircle before it finally settled in a predator stance. The brunet blew lightly on his glove, eyes returning focus on his lurking opponent. The tiger bared its teeth, gnarling deeply in its throat. Tsuna closed his eyes, and it was at this exact opportune that the animal chanced it, its paws thudding against the floor as it lunged at him. Its claws swiped the air blindly, and in that moment Tsuna leaped above the attacks and hurled himself on top of the tiger so that he was straddling its back like a horseback rider. The animal retaliated, bucking its rider, but he was quick enough to knock it out with a gloved hand. It slumped to the floor in defeat, eyes fluttering shut. Tsuna's flame dissipated and he leaped off the animal.

_Clap. Clap._ Byakuran's delighted chuckles vibrated around the now deserted courtroom; the mannequins and unknown judges had disappeared into thin air. He was applauding the show that the Vongola had unwillingly prepared for him. The petite mafia boss did not disappoint. "Simply stupendous, Tsunayoshi-kun," he commended merrily, his lilac orbs fully in the open and his mask carelessly thrown aside.

Tsuna was breathing heavily, standing vulnerably at the center of the courtroom. He wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, and when he looked up, his brown eyes were tormented. Byakuran halted, surprised by the poignant expression in those familiar irises. "Y-you..." choked Tsuna, his hand furiously swiping across his face as he sniffled.

That was what he was doing. Byakuran strode over, closing in on the brunet despite his muffled protests for him to "back off." He wordlessly pulled the Vongola into a half embrace, closing the other's eyes with one hand and with his other tangling soothingly in the brunet's tousled hair. "Shh, Tsunayoshi-kun. Maybe this was too much for you, hmm?" He continued to comfort the latter until the choked cries were subdued, the remainder being droplets of salty tears trailing down flushed cheeks and into the white mage robe. Byakuran leaned down to whisper in his ears, "You've done well, Tsunayoshi-kun. Now, we must get going."

Tsuna finally peeled his gaze from the waxed floor to look up at the smiling, previously masked judge. He didn't know what to say, and he was also embarrassed for crying in front of his upperclassman. And yet he realized that it was also the other's fault that he was in this complicated mess. The brunet averted the prominent gaze of Byakuran, and with a jolt, saw that they had once again changed locations. This time they were back in the Halloween mansion, and it was almost nostalgic. Tsuna sighed in relief, his spirits lifting drastically, ironically enough.

"...Byakuran-sempai..."

"Hmm?"

"Are you the fifth Alice?" asked Tsuna. He was startled by his own bundled up courage, and he instinctively waved his hands wildly as if to retract his words. "I mean, one second I'm in your house and the next...the next we're at the court - "

"Ah, found out already, eh?" Byakuran laughed lightly. Tsuna took this as a good sign, and he managed a flustered and hesitant grin. The smile was wiped off when he bumped gracelessly into the elder, causing a muffled groan of pain to escape his mouth. "Actually, I wouldn't say 'Alice,' because the 'dream' is the one who tainted the Alices," Byakuran said. Tsuna stared at him in bemusement. He was about to prod the matter when...

"VOOOOOI!"

Tsuna cringed. No way, that man was here again. He peered from behind Byakuran too see the long-haired and intimidating swordsman glaring pointedly at them. He gulped.

"Bring that brat over here," ordered the man gruffly, leaning against the dark wall and resting his hand on his unsheathed sword. The full moon peeking through a lone window illuminated half of his face and left the rest in shadows.

Byakuran let out a low chuckle, beckoning Tsuna to go over to Squalo. The brunet "Eep!"ed when the shark-toothed man bared his canine teeth, looking impossibly more threatening. He stumbled over to him, issuing a snort from the elder, and then was promptly demanded for the Alice cards. Tsuna shuffled in his pocket, found the envelope containing said cards, and showed them to Squalo. The man snatched them and sifted through them meticulously, eyes roving over the signatures and the symbols. He nodded in approval, but then asked, "And where's the fifth?"

"The fifth? Uwa, um - "

"Right here, Squalo," an easy voice interrupted, and a card swished past his face and slid in between Squalo's index and middle fingers.

"Hrn," scoffed the man. Nevertheless, he looked at it and nodded once more. "You pass, runt," he growled to Tsuna.

"Uhh, thank you?" said the brunet uncertainly.

Squalo glanced at him impatiently, hefting his sword in Tsuna's face and consequently causing the latter to yelp in surprise and wave his arms haphazardly in vain. "Someone is coming to pick you up, so you better go now, you mor - "

"Sawada-dono!" a familiar voice called up from the banister. A light brunet breezed past the idle Byakuran and ended up besides Tsuna, conversing in bright and cheerful tones. Squalo had turned around and ignored the chatters, but he couldn't leave the area because of his respectful job in the event as a student council member. Byakuran, on the other hand, had no trouble departing from the place. It was as he was nonchalantly humming a tune while descending the staircase when he passed by a familiar infant. He was climbing the stairs calmly and wearing a fedora with a lizard perched on his forearm. They both paused, each eying the other in interest.

"Millefiore...Byakuran," murmured Reborn.

"I'm pleased to meet you, one of the most powerful infants. Reborn of the seven arcobalenos, hmm?" Byakuran acknowledged earnestly, nodding his head in respect with his smile intact as always.

"You, too, Byakuran," replied the baby. He climbed up the last few steps, glanced sideways at the motionless Millefiore, and then proceeded into the hallway.

"Reborn!" a relieved voice cried.

"Reborn-dono!"

"So I've heard that you've completed your task, Tsuna. Congratulations."

"I don't think so, Reborn! I still haven't forgiv – ow! Don't hit someone after you've done all this to him!"

"Hm, Squalo of the Varia...?"

Byakuran skipped down the last step in an overall good mood, smiling brightly and weightlessly. Today was eventful. The Vongola tenth generation boss was really an interesting spectacle, he decided.

* * *

Yawning, Byakuran stepped out of the shower with a bathrobe loosely slung around his waist. _Bzzz_. Someone was calling his cellphone. He grabbed the device and connected to the caller. "Hello?"

"Byakuran."

He frowned, his earlier nonchalance and breeziness immediately wiped off cleanly. He strode over to the windows, the glass panels overlooking the whole city of flooding lights and neon flashes. In a cold and icy voice, he replied in a strained tone, "How are you doing, my brother?"

There was an equally cold chuckle coming from the other line. "Shall we skip the unnecessary salutations, my younger brother?"

Byakuran's lips formed a thin line, somewhere between a smile and gritting of teeth. The man always made him feel uneasy. He forcefully pulled a grin and spoke into the intercom, "You know, _Ghost_, there are only two types of people in the world." Flicking the tab, the window drapes were unrestricted, and they fell together to bar the view of the city.

"Oh? Continue on, my dear brother."

"There are the ones who entertain...and then there are the ones who observe."

"You are right, Byakuran. That is why you must take care of the Vongola. And then observe the eventual dynasty of the Millefiore Famiglia."

"Hmm, hasty as usual. Well, I have other things to keep me occupied. Until then," Byakuran said dismissively, languidly flopping down on a leather sofa.

There was a pause; then, "I will contact you another time. Remember to do your job properly, Byakuran."

_Click_. Byakuran sighed, leaning back into the armrest and crossing his legs. On the coffee table beside him was a bag of marshmallows, and grabbing the item, he closed his eyes, for once letting the smiling poker-face go.

"I know that even without you telling me, Ghost."

* * *

**Rori's Corner:** Is that a cliff-hangie? I don't think so ;3 I'm sho sorry guys, for late update. But I do have a valid excuse~

I will see some of you on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14th! For the ones who don't know what I'm going on about, and if you're curious, check _"Valentine Crisis."_ It's basically a whole bunch of chaos. And totally cracktastic.

And next chapter shall be whenever~

Luv from Rori~


	9. Replay Tsuna is So Pretty

**Rori's Corner:** Plot unraveling~ sort of. We're finally pass the Halloween stage now. So take a deep breath, and just enjoy the bullying of Tsuna.

- Err...

Anyway, I shall see you guys at the end of this chapter! :3

"_**Replay (Noona is So Pretty)" **~ SHINee

* * *

_

_Love Makes War_

Chapter 9

_He was treading in shallow water in a completely dark abyss, and adding onto his fears of the creeping shadows were the occasional squeals and giggles of delight resounding from the trickles of water, and along with it, the mechanical ticking of an unknown clock that coincided steadily with his madly beating heart. He gasped and stumbled on a protruding surface (he suspected in the dim corners of his equally vague mind that it was a plastic box of sorts, floating in the water), but bound by luck, he managed to support his blindfolded movements by clinging to an unseen wall on the right of him. He could feel his heavy heart plummeting down to his stomach at the first wisps of ghostly hands wrapping hauntingly around his ankles._

"_HIIIIE! What is this?! G-gahh! Get off me!" he yelped shrilly, feet thudding noiselessly in the wavering pool, running, as he tried to shrug off the ghastly limbs. He could hear the giggles of delight following him and the quiet murmurings that sounded suspiciously familiar to his frightened senses. Chased breaths escaped him; he continued taking flight and didn't dare to look at anywhere besides forward, and suddenly the pool of water surrounding his feet slowly ebbed away. He took a step back, brown irises frozen in wide orbs, body tingling in fear, as the sight of masked men and transparent bodies became vivid in his stoned perception. His breath hitched up when something airy and ghostly wrapped eerily around his elbow. Turning, he caught the gaze of chilling eyes that swept like an ice breeze all over his body. He cried sharply, trying to shake the wispy limb off of him._

"_My, my, what a pleasure it is to meet with you again, my dear Tsunayoshi-kun."_

_Thud. Thud. _

_White hair, masked eyes, formal suit, and pointed, male dress shoes._

"_Byakuran...sempai?" he breathed, hope defining in his caramel eyes. The wicked lips curled into a smile. _

_A devilish but cordial smile. _

"_You seem to be having fun. Well then, I shall leave you be," the other had said while ignoring his muffled protests, grinning playfully and turning his back on the brunet, posture taut and familiar._

"_W-wait, Byakuran-sempai!" he cried out, voice straining. Rustles of movement in the ripples of water behind him endeared his ears, and he no longer cared for his pride – not that he had any to begin with. He tried to run, but something had caught his legs. He tried to call for help, but ghostly hands had covered his lips. "Mmf!" Kicking and resisting against the webs of arms pulling him into the dark water, he could barely see the back of the nonchalant Byakuran strolling away. He struggled once more, and then he was plunged into the cold stream._

"GAH!" Tsuna gasped, shooting up abruptly on his bed. He gulped in erratic breaths, a hand resting on his pacing heart. Was that a nightmare? He shuddered at the mere thought of the dream, and, gulping in a last, nauseous breath, he turned to look at the shuttered window. From the luminous rays of blue light filtering through, he could tell that he had woken up in the brink of morning. Tsuna's eyes roved back to his quivering hands that rested on his blanket, and he sighed.

Nightmares were not a frequent visitor, but then again, the events that followed up to this day were terribly exhausting to his futile self. He stretched his arms, yawning blearily, but his yawn cut off midway when the image of Byakuran-sempai deserting him resurfaced. Tsuna stirred unnervingly, gaze dropping again to his clenched hands. That Halloween Event was no joke. He supposed this would affect his relationship with the upperclassman – being as neutral as it was even before the Alice game. He never asked to be a participant in that crazed event, and now he was probably going to have to endure countless nightmares – along with unwanted awkwardness.

He shook his head, eyes fluttering wearily. Reborn had gone too far. Or was it he, himself, who was the bearer of shame? "Argh!" Tsuna let out in frustration, stretching out his limbs once again and trying to simultaneously clearing himself of these troubling thoughts.

_Tap. Tap._

Tsuna looked at his door curiously. Who would be knocking at this time of the day? Pushing the vague and possible idea of who it _could_ be, he got up and walked towards the door, feet shuffling across the floor in his baby blue pajamas. Turning the knob, he dropped his jaw in shock at the sight of Reborn in a crossdressing get-up: make-up accompanying a blonde wig and dress. "Reborn!" he cried disapprovingly, stumbling back as the baby sauntered undauntedly into his room. Tsuna wrinkled his nose, trying at all cost not to think up of whatever reason the arcobaleno could have in dressing up.

"Tsuna, your room is a mess," Reborn commented as he leaped up the bed to the brunet's shelf of manga and video-games and settled on it.

"Why are you here so early?" asked Tsuna, avoiding the other's statement entirely.

Reborn's eyes glinted, and the latter immediately took this as a bad sign. "How was the Halloween Event, Tsuna?"

Were they on a topic-avoiding game? Tsuna sighed. It sure seemed like one. And they weren't getting anywhere at this rate. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, and then muttered begrudgingly, "What do you think?"

"Dame-Tsuna is dame-Tsuna, after all," Reborn announced breezily, his small mouth curling whimsically.

"Hey!" Tsuna frowned, pursing his lips at the baby when he heard the comment.

Reborn's tone caught him off guard; it was abruptly serious and solemn, "There will be a ball being held in the Underground this evening. It is mafia-based, so all families should attend it."

He stared at the arcobaleno questioningly, trying to piece together the string of unfathomable words. A ball? Mafia gathering? The Underground? _What?_ Just what did this have to do with _him_, the good-for-nothing Sawada Tsunayoshi? Surely Reborn did not expect him...to...

Two words: oh god.

"You're not serious, right, Reborn?" squeaked Tsuna anxiously, eyes widening in alarm.

"Good. You're catching on nicely," commended Reborn, not without a hint of chaste humor.

The brunet gawked.

"You are the tenth generation boss of one of the most powerful families, the legitimate Vongola. You cannot expect to be excused from this most important negotiation," the arcobaleno depicted, jumping down from the shelf and landing solidly on his two feet.

Tsuna's gaping mouth closed, and indignantly he stammered, "B-but – Reborn! I don't want to go to that ball thingy! I'm not even involved with the maf – Reborn! You're not listening to me!" he shouted after the baby, whose thudding against the staircase sounded all too excitedly. Tsuna tried to work his mouth, his brain still hadn't completely computed the new addition of information yet. It was, after all, still early in the morning. Not to mention that he had only woken for approximately ten minutes before his lousy tutor bombarded him with all this mafia business. The brunet sighed, leaning his head into his arms as he entered the bathroom, yawning once more.

It was simply too early in the morning for his taste.

* * *

Tsuna blinked, first out of sheer surprise, second in incomprehension, and third in absolute dismay. He knew now for a fact that his tutor was insane.

Because he couldn't, _couldn't_, be dressing up in _that_.

"_Reborn!_" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

He had finished lunch before coming up to his room, and the first thing he noticed upon entrance was the conspicuous and rather peculiar pink and white Gothic corset dress lying on his bed. There was a lace-up fastening on the front, light pink frills around the top, a black rose pinned to the left chest, and puffy Victorian fabric covering up to the thighs. The white corset with its pink lacing looked to be fit for a girl's size, and it did not help with the boyish atmosphere in his unkempt room. Tsuna rushed over to his bed, looking over the dress with a rouge face and locating for something that he just knew his tutor would have left for him.

Something to indicate that Reborn had been here. The sadistic baby always had a spot for teasing him.

"There it is!" he mumbled, hand grappling a plain envelope. The Vongola fished the content out of the letter, producing a paper with one simple sentence scrawled on it:

_Ciaossu, you have ten minutes to wear the dress with its corresponding accessories_.

And then it exploded. "HIIIE!" cried Tsuna, clumsy fingers recoiling as the electricity tingled along his skin. The letter was now a flimsy pile of grey ashes, some fluttering to the floor and the rest on his bed. He stared at it in shock, breath hitching.

"Tsuna, why are you still not in the right attire?" a familiar chirp was heard from behind him. Reborn ambled into the bedroom, wide pools of black inexplicable and fedora worn on his head.

The brunet exclaimed outrageously, "Reborn! Why the heck is the letter _explosive_?!"

"Hn." Reborn smirked. "I was trying out Giannini's invention. This one seems better off than his other ones, I deduce."

"W-what? What Gianni? Anyway," the latter spluttered, pointing a finger at the offending garment on his bed, "just _what_ is this thing doing here?!"

The arcobaleno leaped up to the mattress, and in a calm, chiding voice he ignored the question, "Tsuna, I've already told you that you need to wear this within ten minutes."

"There's no way I'm wearing this!" Tsuna denounced, exasperated.

He didn't see the lime-colored baton coming.

Bound and weakened once again by thick, restrictive restraints and a blindfold, Tsuna resorted to writhing pointlessly on the chair he was propped on. Basil had been called over to help with this "troublesome future of the Vongola," as Reborn had personally named him, and the light brunet was definitely not helping matters; seeming all to happy to lend out a hand. He was brightly twittering that the latter would make a very feminine and cute girl. Tsuna's mouth fell open; horrified and agape. "Basil-kun, please - "

A duct-tape was slapped over his mouth.

"Basil, I suppose this fabric will go along nicely with the dress," Reborn's calm and amused voice carried over to his ears. The underlying satisfaction in his tone made Tsuna ground his teeth in fury – the baby most likely had something to do with his current inability to communicate properly.

"Reborn-dono, perhaps this one...?"

Tsuna shifted uneasily when a gentle hand lifted his bare leg and fitted a cotton stocking onto it, tugging the fabric until it came up to his knees. The brunet muttered indignantly, "I'm not a _girl_."

Though, what he said in actuality was: "'Am not _grrl_."

"Tsuna," Reborn's voice startled him. It was neither disapproving nor deriding. "The reason why you're going undercover as a female is because we need to set the advantage on the tenth generation of Vongola. Of course, this idea is derived from the deceased _Vongola Ottavo_, the eighth boss, whose femininity charmed the mafia families in regards to alliances and territory negotiations. We can deduce from her many achievements as the first female boss of the Vongola that a foothold can be gained using this plan of..." the arcobaleno's lucid explanation trailed off, and Tsuna could almost feel the other's self-satisfied curl of lips. "Of course," Reborn calmly started again, letting go of his unfinished statement, "we're also in luck due to your feminine physique, baka-Tsuna."

"Eh?!" Tsuna squeaked through the tape, trying to reflect the idea of what all this could possibly have had to do with _him_, the very essence of normalcy. And also ignoring the comment on his "feminine physique." He did not look like a girl, for Kami-sama's sake!

"In other words, Tsunayoshi-dono," Basil's soothing voice concluded lightly as he was done with the stockings, "you wilt be the pillar of the Vongola Famiglia in this ball. Negotiations with the other families along with greeting our alliances, and also the job of forming new ones at this particular, international, mafia-central congregation are your main priorities."

"'IIIIE?!"

Reborn's small hand whipped the duct-tape off him, and Tsuna yowled, raising both hands, which were now untied by the rope, to cover his assaulted mouth. "Gah! Reborn, why do you have to _always_ - " he cut off when painful stinging occurred on the sides of his lips. He whimpered in pain.

"Reborn-dono, do prithee be a bit more gentle with our boss," Basil said, fetching ointment from Tsuna's drawer.

"It's all right. The idiot can't see, anyway."

"Reborn!"

_Ding dong._ Tsuna bolted upright on his seat, looking through total blackness. He reached a hand to undo the blindfold, but it quickly retrieved when he heard an unfamiliar voice resonate in the living room below.

"Oh, my! Is this the Bianchi-chan I've been hearing about from Basil-kun?" Sawada Nana's excited tone sounded bubbly and filled with delight. She must be glad that Tsuna was finally starting to attain friends.

"Is this the Sawada household?" this new voice sounded somewhat foreign and nonchalant. Tsuna stirred, his fingers finally unlocking the thread of the blindfold as Basil started to tenderly dab the ointment onto his raw skin.

The brunet blinked when he saw a foreigner with an abnormal roseate mane of hair dressed in a form-fitting tank-top and jeans emerge from the banister. His eyes widened; the girl was unfamiliar, but she was totally pretty! The foreigner glanced around, ignoring him completely. She spotted a short figure on the floor, whose fedora made up about one inch of his height. Her eyes immediately brimmed with delight, and in an unrestrained voice, she cried, "Reborn!"

Basil turned around while issuing a last dab on Tsuna's mouth, saying, "Greetings, the Poisonous Scorpion, Bianchi-san."

Tsuna whispered anxiously to the other, "What do you mean, Poisonous Scorpion? You don't mean that she's actually..._poisonous_, right?"

But Basil didn't answer him, because at that precise moment, Bianchi had turned her calculating, light brown eyes on Tsuna. She smirked, sauntering over to him while dangling in her arm a briefcase of sorts. "Be still, kid. You better not blink when I apply the mascara, got it?"

Tsuna stared at her in shock. _Mascara?_

* * *

This was absolutely out of order. Somehow, somewhere, some...totally chaotic reasons later, Tsuna found himself click-clacking on high heels that were thankfully not as high as the women milling the stores wore, but high heels nonetheless, on the asphalt towards a luxurious, black, and lengthy limousine. He was tucked in the white corset dress with no way out, propped on glass heels (where Reborn got the idea that he would ever walk in _these_ was a phenomenon), drawn mascara plus eyeliner on, with a tint of eyeshadow, saved from the blush (Bianchi had deliberated for a full fifteen minutes whether or not to apply the rouge, but had decided not to, in the end), donned a laced, pearl necklace, and finally wearing hair extensions that curled down to his shoulder blades. His original, spiky brown hair had been deliberately washed and matted down with gel so that he had now a mane of curly strands.

Tsuna had been invited to the mirror. And what he saw did not please him, for he looked terribly like a girl. A doll, almost.

It must be Bianchi's make-up expertise, he tried to convince himself. But then, that didn't explain why the corset didn't suffocate him...yet. He had heard multiple comments from girls about the tight-fitting line of clothes and how it was strenuous on the abdomen.

He must really be scrawny, dame-Tsuna after all, he decided.

Bickering from the left of the sidewalk diverted him from his thoughts, and he paused in front of the limousine too look over. Tsuna stumbled back in alarm, and only quick reflexes saved him from falling backwards.

"Heh, I've been personally ordered by Reborn-san to be Jyuudaime's bodyguard! Don't think you stand a chance, you baseball-obsessed!" Gokudera snapped, his ultimate scowl of disapproval evident on his face. He was dressed in a subtle mesh of a plain button-up shirt and lax jeans. Perhaps the occasion required a less flashy fashion. Yamamoto was grinning brightly despite the latter's reproach, hands stuffed comfortably in his pants. He was dressed casually, though with a hint of reverence as well.

"Maa maa~, it'll be fine, Gokudera! We'll both be Tsuna's bodyguards in this undercover spy game...or something like that, ahahaha," replied Yamamoto with a breezy laugh.

Gokudera instantly riveted on him with an angry snarl, "The hell? It's not a freakin' 'undercover spy game,' or some crap like that, you bastard! I'll bomb you into next week, you baseball - "

"Yamamoto-kun, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna exclaimed excitedly, waving his arm. What were the two doing here? It seemed like they were arguing – well, _Gokudera_ was having a one-sided argument – from the get-go. But with these two here, he might be able to escape from Reborn's sadistic clutches. His heart flew with excitement at the thought. He didn't even mind the fact that Gokudera had played the part of an Alice in the Halloween Event. Or perhaps the situation required more enthusiasm than mulling over something that already had happened. He made a mental note to ask the other of the incident later – Gokudera was, after all, indirectly connected to his recent nightmares.

Yamamoto and Gokudera both looked over; the former with his still happy grin and the latter with a disgruntled scowl, but their expressions soon turned into confusion when they saw the sight of a pretty brunette dressed in a white Gothic Lolita get-up waving at them from behind a limousine.

"Who the hell are you?" the silver-haired teen demanded skeptically.

"You look strangely familiar," Yamamoto said, brows furrowed in remembrance.

Tsuna's arm dropped in shock. Did he change _that_ much? He stammered, "I-I'm Tsuna. Sawada Tsunayoshi! Don't you guys remember me?" The last sentence came out as a desperate squeak, but he didn't care for his etiquette so much as his pride.

"_J-Jyuudaime_?!" Gokudera uttered incredulously, eyes the size of saucers.

Yamamoto laughed offhandedly, crossing the pavement to where Tsuna was standing embarrassingly near the limousine. The dark-haired teen scanned the latter's whole attire, a widening yet tentative grin spreading over his bemused face. Gokudera strode across the street, suspicion evident in his keen eyes. Yamamoto raised a thumbs-up at the nervous Tsuna, and the gesture relieved some of the tension in the brunet – he even managed a crescent smile in response. "I've always thought Tsuna has a feminine body, ahaha! It looks great on you," he complimented obliviously, not noticing the brunet's jaw slackening in dismay.

"W-w-w-what?" stammered the Vongola, eyes looking impossibly wide and adorable with the make-up excellently executed by Bianchi. Tsuna couldn't believe his ears. Yamamoto had just said the same thing, though worded differently, as Reborn! What in the world...

"Yamamoto, you idiot. That's _clearly_ not Jyuu...dai...me?!" Gokudera's jaw also dropped.

This was not going well. At all.

* * *

Reborn was sipping tea with his leg crossed over the other, Gokudera was glowering at Yamamoto while the baseball-fanatic was describing his encounter with this really beautiful girl in a baseball tryout and realized that the "girl" was in fact a boy, and Tsuna was just trying to force a twitching smile on his lips.

Gokudera snapped, "Are you _trying_ to give Jyuudaime a headache?"

Yamamoto chuckled, looking from the fuming delinquent to the perfectly cross-dressed brunet with an apologetic glance. "I think Tsuna can relate to this story, though. Right?"

The addressed Vongola averted his eyes, leaning back into the cushiony leather with a grimace. "Eh?"

Before Gokudera could triumphantly jab his finger at the sportsman and demand for him to shut his trap, Reborn set down his china teacup on an inbuilt glass table. The arcobaleno eyed each of the boys wordlessly, and the silver-haired delinquent was intimidated into silence. "Gokudera, Yamamoto," Reborn's voice chirped. The two answered quickly. "You are to be the bodyguards of our maiden Vongola, Sawada _Tsukasa_. Yamamoto, think of it - "

"_Tsukasa?_ What?! There's no way I'm doing this!"

" - as going undercover. A modern mafia warfare, if you will."

Yamamoto grinned. "You got it."

Reborn smirked knowingly, ignoring the indignant utters coming from his right. "And, Gokudera," the arcobaleno continued, lips grazing downward just slightly, "make sure to keep an eye on the surrounding."

The bomber nodded solemnly. "I know even without you telling me, Reborn-san."

Tsuna shifted anxiously, trying to sit as gracefully as he could to avoid exposure of the unmentionables between his thighs. He could feel all three pairs of eyes boring into him now, and most of all were Reborn's. He really, _really_, didn't want to do this mafia negotiation thing! Although he should be glad that at least he friends were here with him. Still...

"Tsuna, don't slip up. This is a task given to you, and you alone. Value your life over your pride, since your head is on the line if you do not comply with the Ninth's orders." Reborn's expression was bleak and utterly serious, and Tsuna gulped at the thick bout of brimming tension in the vehicle. "Now," the arcobaleno said, a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth, "we shall go over the details."

"Ugh, again?" muttered Tsuna reluctantly.

Gokudera beamed at him excitedly. "We have only a bit more time before we arrive, Jyuudaime!" The brunet's stomach did an uncomfortable double-flip at the thought. He was starting to bear an extreme dislike for this whole ordeal.

"All of the mafia families, excluding a few that my intuition tell me otherwise, have no visage of the current Vongola Decimo. Also, remember to approach the Millefiore's heir during the ball," Reborn directed.

"M-Millefiore?" inquired Tsuna, whipping his head to stare, stunned, at the arcobaleno.

"It'll be fine, Tsuna! We'll score in this mafia game, I'm sure," Yamamoto said lightheartedly. He was oblivious to a scowl of distaste coming from a certain follower of the Vongola.

The limousine came to a stop, parking smoothly into a lane. Tsuna could feel his heart plummeting, and he whimpered unenthusiastically. Reborn merely stood up from his seat, waiting for the door to open. The locks clicked, and the passenger door slid ajar, introducing a faint October breeze. It was November, but the weather was indifferent. Gokudera and Yamamoto climbed out first, and Tsuna was last due to his glass heels. When he finally emerged, he found a shy arm holding out to him on the right and an encouraging one on his left. Tsuna looked at the two questioningly.

"W-well, uh - " Gokudera stumbled, a pale rouge tainting his cheeks, and he turned begrudgingly to mutter a barely audible "Thanks" to Yamamoto when the other helped him out.

"We'll be acting as your guides for today, Tsuna," the sportsman beamed, grinning.

Tsuna felt himself flushing, but he tentatively clasped his hands to his friends'; they were warm and welcoming against his sleeveless dress in the wintry air. "Thanks, Yamamoto-kun, Gokudera-kun."

Reborn had smiled to himself, but his gesture went unnoticed by the awkwardly connected but strangely happy trio. They were nearing the edifice now: a white three-story architecture filled with windows and their billowing satin curtains, balconies emerging, columns of pillars holding up the building, and pointed rooftops. The place seemed more of a palace than a gathering area. Together, hand-in-hand, they stepped up to the banister, climbing farther up until they met the entrance. Two guards dressed in formal black pulled the gold handles, and the double doors gave way.

Tsuna ogled the interior. There were hundreds or more people attired in groomed suits and glittering gowns and dresses, all lingering around the dining tables and exorbitant food. The floor was a pale marble, reflecting countless swaying chandeliers with their sweetly scented candles. The roof was a golden arch, reaching high up to the heavens. There were girls in dresses who were giggling at the far side of the room, hoarding around one man who had his back turned. In his hand was a glass of wine, and when Tsuna squinted, he noticed that there were several strands of indigo hair slicked up on the back of the person's head. Beyond the dining hall and its classical musicians wielding violins and a grand piano was the ballroom.

It was impressive. The protruding areas on the ceiling were decorated with intricate designs, and attached to the walls in consequent locations were silver candelabrum. Numerous golden chairs were placed beside the walls for spectators to survey their dancing peers. There were only a few children loitering around that area as of the moment, joking around at the far end where floor-to-ceiling mirrors were established.

And, suddenly, all music and chattering, and along with it, flashing jealousy when a wife's husband went to compliment a younger girl - and all of which made the building a lively and prestigious gathering had halted. All eyes abruptly landed in unison on the new occupants of the room: Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and perhaps who influenced this to happen, Reborn.

"_Oh, my, is that Reborn_?" Hushed whispers escaped in Italian, Spanish, and other languages. It was an international gathering, after all.

Tsuna looked anxiously at Reborn for affirmation, but the arcobaleno had taken steps toward the platters of molted chocolate cakes and pancakes with tea as a refreshment. The baby exchanged looks with the musicians, and in a voice that was teeny yet somehow controlling, he chirped, "Why not carry on?" They hurriedly nodded, complying, and started off a jumble of uncoordinated notes; they were disastrous, but they somehow convinced the gathered people to traipse off back into their conversations. Yet the mood was tense and deliberate. Eyes still darted to the new residents, and chatters and rumors were ignited.

The Vongola steadily let go of the hands clasped in his, exchanging quick glances with Gokudera and Yamamoto in the process. "Let's get...something to eat," he suggested, face pale and tense.

"Sure," agreed Yamamoto easily.

Gokudera glared at anyone who dared to glance in his or Tsuna's direction. He reached a hand to up the last piece of a _Doubly Decadent Dark Chocolate_, a dessert with an extremely chocolatey icing over the cake that is equally mouth-watering and delectable. Gokudera was startled by something, or _someone_, poking his shoulder blade. He turned around and met cool, cobalt eyes – ones that were somewhat narrowed at him.

"Kid, is this the last of that dessert?" the tall blond asked, leering down at him with downturn lips.

Gokudera glared up at him, lips scowling. He glanced quickly at the cake he held in his hand. "And so what if it is?" To his surprise, the man had swiveled on his feet with a palm raised as if beckoning him.

"We'll play a game of billiard to settle this affair. Interested?"

"Tch." Gokudera let himself a smirk, feet thudding triumphantly up the banister as he followed the man. "Winner takes all," he dared. The steel-blue eyes turned sideways to face his, and he could see the blond's lip curled up in the corner.

"Whatever you say, brat. I just want that dessert."

Tsuna looked over, taking notice that his loyal silver-haired friend had disappeared. "Eh?! Where's Gokudera?" he asked anxiously.

"Don't worry, Tsuna," Yamamoto's calm voice assured him. "I saw him following a man up the stairs just a minute ago."

"Hiiie?! But that's suspicious!"

"He looked excited, so I doubt it. Just relax, Tsuna. I'm still here," Yamamoto said, grinning. His brown eyes roved over the gathered people and landed coincidentally on a certain silver-maned swordsman who was descending the winding staircase. The shark-toothed man seemed to be scowling at something.

"Y-yeah, I suppose. Thanks, Yama - " Tsuna paused when the sportsman's hand was held in front of his face. "Eh? Yamamoto-kun?" he inquired.

"Tsuna," the dark-haired baseball fan said in an alarmingly serious tone. Before the latter could utter anything else, Yamamoto interjected apologetically, "Wait here, okay? I'll be right back!" And he was off, quickly striding over to the snarling swordsman who was pushing past a gathering of young women deep in conversation.

"Wait, Yamamoto...kun?" Tsuna sighed, realizing that he was now alone. He must be really miserable. Gokudera already had something going on, and then Yamamoto, who barely knew anything about the mafia, also seemed to be occupied with something, and lastly, he, himself, who was already deeply involved in this whole affair, was like the loser at a semi-formal.

And he was also dressed up as a girl.

"Uwahh, this is so wrong!" Tsuna cried, reaching for another fudge chocolate. This must be the dreaded "stress eating disorder," he speculated glumly. The brunet jumped when a palm landed gently on his bare shoulder. He almost dropped the unfinished chocolate in his hand, but he managed to hold onto it firmly when he turned to face a stranger. The person looked to be foreign; Italian, he thought, a blond with unruly golden strands of hair, eyes similar to the color of the dessert he had in his hand, though lighter, and a warm smile.

"_Scusi!_" he said, and upon noticing the confusion in Tsuna's eyes, the blond grinned lightly, retracting his palm from the latter's shoulder. "Ah, sorry, I thought you were Italian from the back," he confessed apologetically.

"Ah, uh, it's all right," Tsuna said hastily, waving his hands frantically to show that he was fine. He remembered that he was still a girl, and, removing all prideful revenges in his mind, he tried a delicate smile and a higher voice.

"I'm Dino, from the Chiavarone Famiglia," the blond introduced. He bowed, and before Tsuna thought of doing the same, the brunet's hand was tenderly taken and planted a gentle kiss on. The Vongola blushed, standing stock-still with caramel eyes following the blond like a magnet. Dino grinned; a bright, all-white smile.

Tsuna quickly recovered, and clearing his throat, he said over the floating music, "My name is Sawada...Tsukasa from the Vongola family." He almost winced at the alias, but the Chiavarone seemed more surprised at his background information.

"From the Vongola?" Dino repeated blankly. A split second later, a smile sifted over his lips, and he said brightly, "So you're the one who Reborn has been raising lately."

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked. _Reborn? _

"I thought the Decimo would be a boy all along." Dino chuckled, grinning. "Well, this is a surprise. In this case, a simple kiss on the hand won't do. We'll need a proper greeting due to the bond between our families."

"A proper greeting?" Somehow, it didn't sound all too appealing. Tsuna squeaked when Dino's face hovered over his own; a distance that was surely too close for comfort. He closed his eyes instinctively, feeling soft lips linger on his cheeks on both sides. The brunet blushed a second time, tongue-tied and unsure of what to think. When he felt that the blond had backed away, he slowly opened his eyes to see the Chiavarone extending an arm towards him. Tsuna looked at it with incomprehension, but he didn't resist when his arm was hooked around the blond's more muscular one.

"I'll show you around the families, Tsukasa," Dino promised, giving him a beaming grin. And then he leaned in as he was leading the latter around the circular dining tables, whispering into his ear in a naturally husky voice, "You're really adorable, did you know that?"

_HIIIE!_

* * *

**Rori's Corner:** Iz so tired. Been writing this consecutively for three days. Shoulders hurt.

And had decided to leave this out "scene" for next chappie.

Do you sense D27? I bet you do. Ohyeshh~ Byaku, oh Byaku~ he shall appear in – _BEEP_

Anyways, was it epic enough to make up for my temporary hiatus (if you can count it as that?) I do not apologize for long wait, so don't go glaring at me like that~

Cross-dressing Tunafish is always lurve.

And props for _NightSmex_, ushishishishi~


	10. Whatever They Say

**Rori's Corner: **Aha~ sorry, monthly updates. The only way to motivate myself is by being competitive, in terms of deadlines. Seme and I are constantly updating on the same date.

Coincidence? I think not.

And – wao, chapter 10 already ._. LOL The end of chapter 9 wasn't aimed for excitement. Okay, in the eyes of the readers, it was XD But really, my super long wait is because of my extreme _laziness_ (and school).

Whoops. Shouldn't have let that slip. ILY too ~

"_**Whatever They Say**_~ _DBSK _[Dong Bang Shin Ki]

* * *

Love Makes War

Chapter 10

"And here we have..."

"My, your export goods are rather behind, Mister Randolph."

"My daughter, Cecilia, has a rather talented hand at crafts. Of course, her beauty is also unrivaled. What of your son, Claude?"

"Uhh, D-Dino-san..."

"What is it, Tsukasa?" Cafe-colored irises roved over the sweet delicacies to meet chocolate brown, and Dino grinned laxly.

Tsuna sighed, shifting his feet when the prickly dress finally started to aggravate his skin. '_What is it_?' There were a lot of 'what is it's, all of which he couldn't ever express clearly in his current state – unless he wanted to expose what he actually was (in this case, a very obvious _male_), risk gunshots aimed specifically for his head (from a certain arcobaleno), and suffer from major embarrassment for the rest of his life. No, he didn't really want to answer honestly to the handsome blond, who was conversing lightly with another girl next to the dessert stand. This Dino-san from the Chiavarone looked to be pretty young, perhaps around seventeen or eighteen, and he seemed rather...naturally cheery. He looked like the ideal foreigner to Tsuna; one could expect to meet a replica of Dino in a shoujo manga.

No, he didn't really read shoujo mangas.

Okay, so maybe he did. His mom had forced him to, in fact. She was super influenced by this cooking manga featuring a 'bishounen,' as she put it, but who was simply a pretty boy, that she started to procure dishes of spicy curry mixed with inklings of vanilla ice cream. Tsuna couldn't honestly say he was terribly impressed by his mom's development. He'd rather she stuck with her older, more edible, cooking skills. Tsuna jumped when the thread starter of his thoughts addressed him.

"Ah, Tsukasa, come over here," Dino said, arm waving him over to where an abrupt gathering of people stood, lingering around a long dining table that consisted of silver candelabrum lining up after the other in rows. Tsuna's wide eyes displayed involuntary trust, limbs immediately going numb and rigid.

_Eep! I really don't want to go over there!_

The blond excused himself from the tall group of middle-age black market distributors and strode over to him, cafe-colored eyes instilling comfort in the Vongola heir. Dino gently took a hold of Tsuna's hand and gripped it lightly, briefly, in encouragement. "I'm sure Reborn wouldn't like it if you abandon your duties, right?" Noting the horrified look and the unhinging of jaw of the latter, he grinned in success. "They're not scary people, once you get to know them. And, of course, I won't let them harm you."

Halfway assured by the comfort of the suave blond but still not completely confident, Tsuna nodded his head dully in understanding. "Ah, Dino-san," he started, but halted when he realized the somewhat masculine voice of his natural vocal chords. With his face flushed, he waved his hands haphazardly in the air at the question in the blond's eyes. "U-uh, let's go over there, yeah, s-sure."

The Chiavarone heir beamed and said proudly, "Exactly what I expect the Tenth Vongola boss to say. All right, let's go, Tsukasa."

Tsuna sighed in relief, knowing that the other was oblivious to his sudden voice change. Well, it was time to show what little skills he had in cross-dressing, which will possibly traumatize the keener population with better evaluation skills, and perhaps get away with his head attached. All of a sudden, this little wish for salvation seemed all the more impossible, when he was led to the higher-class assemble of stone-faced men wearing all black tuxes for the occasion with their haughty wives, stylishly superior in their vivid gowns and sleek dresses. One of the men, a burly looking businessman in his late thirties, spotted the slim Vongola, and his eyes immediately glinted.

Tsuna paled, stumbling a step after the tall blond. Did that guy just...he shuddered, using Dino as a coverage for half of his body. This was totally out of his realm. He wanted to be home, playing his addictive video games and shouting nonsense at the screen. And battle cries, he added. He was so anxious that he almost missed the sound of a mechanical ticking, Glancing around, he took note that noticed besides him, and a quick reminiscence reminded him that Reborn had implanted some sort of tracking device on his earrings, including the power for it to transmit messages to his brain without anyone else acknowledging, and so this way the arcobaleno could survey his movements and advise his next approach.

Apparently. He himself couldn't for the life of him see the use of surveying his privacy a good thing.

"Ladies and gents," Dino announced, waving his hand in a grandiose flourish at the completely focused gathering around the dining table, "let me introduce you to one of our next, most influential people in the later generation." At his words, the men exchanged a solemn, curious look with each other, as the ladies glanced around with conniving notions. Tsuna had blanched at the Chiavarone's speech, hoping against hope that he did not just hear what the man had said. He hid behind the blond further in an attempt to avoid what he knew was going to happen. "Shall we welcome the tenth generation of Vongola bosses, the heiress Sawada Tsukasa?" Gasps went around as, despite the brunet's stealthy hiding, he was pulled by the hand into the spotlight, now facing ten affluent mafia people with stunned stares directly pointed on him. Tsuna couldn't even still his own eyes from widening and blinking continuously in shock.

The man earlier who had eyed him dropped his cocktail glass on the table, clapping his hands afterward while saying, "My, my, what a spectacle you are, Miss Vongola."

Tsuna winced, goosebumps dotting along his bare arms. A warm hand rested on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Dino, whose face was steeled toward the chattering mafia. A firm but gentle squeeze comforted Tsuna, and with a shaky smile he returned his attention on the skeptical mass of people who were debating on whether to show their respect or continue to seek the ruse in this circumstance.

"Let me introduce myself, m'lady," the discreet voice of the unnerving man said, as he bowed curtly in courtesy, and in spite of Tsuna's prideful instinct in denying such a title, the palm on his shoulder reminded him of the gravity of his situation. He willed his mouth to stop at sounding anything unnecessary to the intimidating public and to just bear with it. The dark-haired man with the beady eyes continued to present himself, "I am Alfredo Fettuccine of the manufacture of military weapons department."

All eyes turned to face the brunet, and Tsuna flushed. "Ah, uh, um, nice to meet you...too?" A squeak came out in the end, but the man, Alfredo, seemed not to mind; he had on a victorious smile, which he chose to show off proudly to the incredulous individuals. On the other hand, the Vongola could have palmed himself in the face had he not been in this overwhelming atmosphere of grown-ups and adults alike. He couldn't even bring himself to breathe properly, lest someone see through his guise of a female. A pleasant chuckle beside him resonated, and Tsuna realized that Dino was leading him to the head of dining table, which faced everyone adjacent to him as well as the person at the end. Knees succumbing, it was relatively easy to just shove him into the chair, but the blond had cautiously settled him in, giving Tsuna an encouraging grin before he himself sat down on the right side of the table.

"What a pleasant surprise, Miss..._Sawada_ of the Vongola Famiglia," a foxy purr came from the left of Tsuna. The brunet blinked, taking in the sight of a beauteous woman with a long mane of gorgeous brown and eyes the color of deep cerulean. Her sleek, midnight gown made her appear even taller, and at his rather incomparable height, seated, on the chair, her majestic figure was more than intimidating. _**"**__Bonjour,__**"**_ she greeted flawlessly before strolling over to her seat, flipping her wavy hair over her shoulder and carelessly winking at a male across the room. Once settled, she started chatting smoothly with Mr. Fettuccine, occasionally glancing at a certain Chiavarone with deliberate intention and witty seduction.

"Mademoiselle Celeste," Dino murmured, humor traceable in his casual tone.

Tsuna looked at him inquisitively, and before he could stop himself, he asked, "Does she _like_ you? Hiiie! I mean - "

A cackle of laughter escaped Dino, leaving the brunet in a humiliated puddle of bewilderment, as the sound of merriment attracted others' attentions. "You're painfully blunt, Tsukasa! It's cute, really."

Blushing a dark red, Tsuna stammered, "I'm so sorry, Dino-san! I shouldn't have asked such a personal question."

"It's fine - "

"I mean, it's not my position to probe your business, I'm really - " Tsuna stopped himself, when he saw that the blond was no longer paying attention to his rambling apologies; instead, he was laughing so hard that his head was buried in his arms. "Uh...Dino-san?" The Chiavarone gradually looked up, tears of laughter in the corners of his coffee-colored eyes, and he wiped them away, chuckles fading.

"For a girl, you really don't act like one," commented Dino. Just when Tsuna had the dawning awareness that maybe he was risking a turn for the worse, the blond's maturely carefree eyes swept over his dainty, tensed body at the head of the table. "Just relax, Tsukasa," the Chiavarone assured, fingers absentmindedly caressing his glass of honey cocktail. "It's about time for us to meet the Vongola's - "

"Move, trash."

"I – I'm so sorry, Mister Xanxus," a man apologized, head bowing repeatedly in solemn fear. A younger male in a black suit appeared, frightening crimson irises narrowed in contempt as his lips snarled in utter distaste, his figure casting a venomous shadow and contagious doom, as he advanced upon the gathering of mafia. Tsuna could already feel himself quaking in fear just at the sight of the man, and when the blood-shed eyes glanced at him with such ineffable hatred, he was ready to lose consciousness.

Beside him Dino had grasped the edge of the table with one hand, coffee irises steeling in uncharacteristic hostility. "Talk about the devil," he muttered, a strained grin overlapping his frowning mouth. "Xanxus," he greeted, standing up and acknowledging the mass before him. With a nod at the unnerved mafia men, Dino calmed the strained tension slightly. Xanxus, the brooding boss of the Varia, the infamous independent assassination squad of the Vongola, came forward in all his fear-inducing grace and grasped the end chair of the dining table, lifting a leg and rudely resting his boot on the seat, crimson orbs glaring all the while.

"Mister Xanxus, hm?" Celeste murmured in interest, sheer pink lip-gloss glimmering flatteringly,

Ignoring the brunette, the dark-haired Italian smirked cynically and demanded, "So, what the hell do you want?" Looking around, each person would either flinch or avert his eyes once addressed by the fearful red. Continuing on in a deadly tone, Xanxus grabbed a glass of wine on the table, taking a swig while addressing the exchange of looks from one to another with his penetrating glare. The little chatters around the table stilled to silence, though the flow of music elsewhere and accommodating conversations carried on. The Varia boss's eyebrows furrowed, and a second later, the wine glass deliberately shattered into splintered fragments on the marble floor, pooling around the area a collective red liquid. Xanxus slammed his fist into the table, face glowering and beyond pleased, and in a deep growl, he hissed, "This is where the greatest mafia families gather, and you dare give me this shit to drink?"

A chivalrous personnel rushed over to see the commotion, splutters of apologies already forming in his quivering lips, "T-t-this is – Master Xanxus, please! I will clean this up right away - "

"Shut up, trash."

_Wham!_

A chaotic moment later, the employee was found on the floor, left cheek exposing a raw mark where an incredulous second earlier, a clenched fist had connected harshly with. Immediately, people stood up from their seats, and Tsuna rose as well, shock forming in his wide eyes. Dino looked stunned, but not ultimately surprised, as he was expecting this kind of undesirable temper from the notorious head of the infamous team of violence. The Chiavarone patted Tsuna's shoulder for him to sit down, and the brunet did so with numb obedience, before he went around the table to reach the end, where the ill-tempered boss was irritably holding up another employee by the collar. By now more attention was directed at the area where important mafia heads had gathered for a negotiation to settle matters and conflicts, and when the audience saw the initiator of the commotion, they automatically returned to their conversations prior, not wanting themselves to be involved with the violent boss.

"Provide me the best wine you have, scum, or you'll never live to see another daylight in your pathetic life," threatened Xanxus, using just one hand to hold the victim in place.

"A-ack! I got it, sir. Please, I'll get the wine right away!"

Xanxus smirked deviously, though his crimson eyes spelled murder. "If I find out you've done anything to it - "

"Xanxus."

Ruby irises narrowed and swiveled to clash with firm and stern coffee eyes. Neither batted an eye, and there was little to no movement, until Xanxus suddenly let go of the employee's collar, permitting him a rash contact with the unrelenting marble. As other personnel on stand-by went to aid the frightened man, Xanxus turned to eye the Chiavarone with an unyielding, arrogant gaze. "Bucking Bronco. Cluttering with the scum now?"

Dino's eyes flashed in anger, but he eased himself into the safe zone with a pointed seriousness in his tone, "That's going overboard, don't you think? On top of that, displaying such violence in the presence of ladies, and especially in front of one of our youngest and most important figures. You're way too rash, Xanxus."

The tall, dark-haired Varia boss glanced around at the table, now finally taking in whoever was at the head, and abruptly his mouth snarled vehemently. As the victim of the most dangerous glare to have ever been witnessed in the world, Tsuna's heart was desperately beating in hyperventilation, and goosebumps were forming all over his body. His flimsy attire had never felt as naked as he had now. Xanxus seethed, "Who the hell is that?"

The Chiavarone made a move as if he were reaching for his weapon, but a quick glance at the frozen brunet behind reined him in place, and in a deadly tone he warned, "I won't have you disrespecting the representative of the current Vongola, Xanxus!"

Tsuna, by this time, was keenly wishing for a portal to transport back to home and for his bed that he could nestle comfortably in. Anywhere that wasn't here, he could take. Quite honestly, he'd admit to anyone who would care for a listen that that scarred man freaked him out to hell and back again. _Quite honestly_. Oh no, Dino was making claims again. _HIIIE! Don't say anything, don't say anything! Pretend that I'm not here – _

"Tenth generation boss of the Vongola?"

_Nooooooooooo!_

Dino let a wry grin to adorn his lips, back turning on the barely striking lion and facing the long table, where wary eyes were all focused on the two of them. Tsuna was confidently trying to avoid the coffee-colored gaze resting on his form to no avail, because it would only be a matter of time before the blond pointed him out as the heiress of the powerful Vongola Family. He could feel it now, just a breadth away from doom, and he could taste the fear already taking its sour form, just waiting to consume him entirely. Only a second away –

"AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Tsuna froze, Alfredo Fettuccine was halfway reaching for his cocktail, when he'd stopped, Celeste was playing with her hair, eyes burning into Xanxus, when she blinked inquisitively, and the other mafia henchmen had all stood up again, despite having taken their seats just a moment ago. Everyone stared at the raucous boss of the Varia, uncomprehending the sudden burst of raw delight, and only when Xanxus's laughter had died into a low vibration of unnerving chuckles did they dare to exchange skeptical looks. Tsuna had forgotten how to breathe – that was how frightened he was.

"You have guts, messing around with me, Chiavarone. You expect me to believe that this..._girl_ is the tenth generation? Don't make me laugh!" Xanxus roared, knocking aside the chair his leg was resting on and letting it clatter onto the floor with a loud _thump_.

Celeste hummed, standing up and striding over to the quivering Vongola. She lingered around the high-back chair, hands roaming over the armrests, and in a smooth voice she said, "Don't forget, Xanxus. This may not even be the Vongola's true form."

Tsuna perked up at her words, tension high-strung in the unsteady pacing of his heart. Was it possible that this woman knew something about his circumstance? And...why was she _this_ close to him, anyway? Murmurs in agreement resounded, and he could have melted into a puddle of humiliation, when a slender finger lifted up his chin. Celeste was giggling lightly now, and Fettuccine seemed to be rather satisfied with his mild thinking, for he had on an ugly smirk reflecting his beady eyes. Tsuna couldn't make himself shake off the soft hand of the woman, who was undeniably making him more and more uncomfortable. Alfredo Fettuccine had picked up his cocktail and was saying something, "That reminds me, Mademoiselle Celeste, of the delightfully cunning Vongola Settimo in the olden age. You people must recall, I'm sure, of his wonderful execution as a beggar in an international congregation, such as the gathering we are having now, and how he had fooled hundreds of mafia families into believing his disguise. Of course, none knew that he was the heir to the most influential family at the time, the Vongola." Nods in understanding passed along the table, and now Tsuna was feeling too prickly for his liking.

He somehow found an intense dislike in the witty Italian, who was currently sipping from his glass with great content. Fettuccine wiped his mouth with a handkerchief before continuing to speak, a greedy glint in his distrustful eyes, "Is it coincidental that a month after each mafia family knew of the next Vongola heir, the Settimo from a century or two ago, the fools who had mocked the beggar form of the Vongola were unfortunately perished from the face of the earth?"

Silence ensued, but each person's mind was filled with a sudden thrust of tension and fear. However, the most nervous one was Tsuna, who was enduring countless glances from his unlikely companions. They didn't look too friendly. He did understand, if not ironically, why they were now putting up their guards in front of this "future boss of the tenth Vongola generation," although it was not to say that he _liked_ the undeserved attention and the fleeting glances. Suddenly, he noticed that the scary, glowering guy with the abnormal red irises was glaring at him in utmost hatred. Tsuna scooted back a few centimeters in his chair.

Whoops. What now?

"This common _girl_ as the next Vongola?" Xanxus was livid. "I refuse to believe such bullshit."

And he had left, shouldering people out of the way in his retreat. Celeste had wandered back to her seat, grabbed her Louis Vuitton handbag, and winked at a rather disheveled Dino before departing, sauntering away to the bartender in a little section across the room. Alfredo Fettuccine cleared his throat, standing up and refusing to look at the petite figure at the head of the table. Others had stood up, as well, and one of them, a woman in her thirties, mumbled to him, though audible in all aspects (probably a volume level intentionally used so that Tsuna could hear her – and in Japanese, no less), "We must be careful. Letting such an..._important_ figure overhear our conversations would be troublesome, no?"

A nonchalant voice said from Tsuna's left, "Let's not make ourselves enemies of the future Vongola, shall we?" The brunet flushed, face paling considerably. Tsuna found himself imagining an abrupt pit in the ground, in which it was easy access to a hiding place away from the world and its prying eyes and stinging words. His head hurt, but it wasn't just that; his chest was beating painfully. _I didn't want to come here in the first place. __Do they think I _want _to be a part of this mafia stuff? I'm just a high school student – a ninth grader! I don't want to be involved in this mess! It's not normal!_ He told himself he wasn't going to cry, that there was no need to, but he was already feeling the pool of tears forming, the anguish thudding of his heart, and the stuffy nose he was sure going to endure later. _A-ack! S-stop! Why am I depressed over _this?

"Tsukasa, I apologize on behalf of the undisciplined fools; I'll have them handled later." Dino's voice was soothing, but Tsuna could not hope to lift his face from the shield that was his wavy brown hair and reveal his already tearing eyes. He only managed a dull nod, refusing to look up at the tall blond before him. "Hey, Tsukasa. Are you all right?"

"J-just fine." He was at least proud in his normal-sounding voice. It didn't crack or anything. Not yet, hopefully. "You don't need to worry about me, Dino-san." Tsuna found himself being grasped by the shoulders firmly, and in surprise, he unfortunately exposed his nearly tear-stricken face. _HIIIIIE! Now he's going to think I'm a crybaby! _Waving and flapping his hands awkwardly in an attempt to cover his humiliation, the brunet stammered, "A-aha! It's not what it looks like! I'm just...uh, stung by the tea, see?" He hurriedly averted his eyes, holding up the steaming cup for confirmation. A hand gently pried his from the teacup, and Tsuna stood stock-still, just trying to stall time. Maybe he'd have enough room to make a beeline for the lavatory, wherever _that_ was, (he'd have to ask an employee later) and then make himself at home with all the tissues he'd have surrounding him.

"You're not fine, Tsukasa."

When trying to stop unnecessary crying in front of a whole group of audience, it is better to think of the good things in life, the fulfilling dinner you'll be having next, the internet time you'd have at home, and perhaps amusing yourself by imagining the perfect revenge on your offender, such as a nice, epic kick that would send the person sailing through ten brick walls and have there waiting for him a decade of comatose, and when said person wakes up ten years later, he will find a divorce note from his dearly beloved wife – apparently not so dearly beloved, after all. But one must never have, in the midst of the peak of bawling your eyes out, someone coming in and reminding him of that terrible, tear-of-anger-inducing incident, in which the person had oh so experienced and agonized over, _and_ telling him that "You're not fine (and I can fix that)," because it is just not mentally and socially acceptable.

So, when Tsuna heard Dino tell him the apocalyptic statement that would conquer heaven and bring upon earth a drought of doom ("You're not fine, Tsukasa), it was like a volcano had erupted inside of him, and he was just so sick of the entire mafia business – what did that have to do with him? – and being talked about as if he were going to unleash Cerberus on their rears and set their 'families' on fire, and on top of the outright indication of "a common _girl_" (he was _not_ a girl), he was forced to dress up as a female. And he was just so sick of all this.

"_Ciao_, Dino – my, what have you done to this pretty girl?" A hushed, curious tone.

"A heartbreaker as always, I see." A womanly laugh.

"Ahaha, nothing like that," Dino replied with a slanted grin, but he quickly rushed past the group of wealthy women to the staircase, which would lead upstairs. Beside him Tsuna had his eyes obscured by his arm, head facing downwards, as a sniffle would occasionally escape his mouth. The latter was reluctant to present his vulnerable state, and Dino didn't press him. On the left was a majestic balcony, which overlooked the glittering city nicknamed the Underground, and by the hand, the blond led Tsuna to take a breath of fresh air. They slid past a rowdy crowd of people who were being entertained by a round of billiard played by two fellows to the sectioned area on the ledge of the building, in which a comfortable, cushioned sofa was placed to view the dazzling night sky.

Tsuna sniffed, still hiding his face, but he was curious as to where he was, though he still lacked the courage to take a peek. He did hear the conversations and rumors as he was passing by with the Chiavarone, and in fact, he was more than glad that the blond brought him to the balcony (he could breathe in the air). Even though he was afraid of his voice turning out like a broken record, he choked out a, "Thank you, Dino-san." He sounded almost normal. At least he had an excuse for being vaguely on the masculine side now.

"Don't thank me, Tsukasa. If anything, it's my fault you were in that situation."

"Ah..." He wanted to disagree, but this _was_ fifty percent Dino's fault. "It's really because of me and my useless self, so it's all right." By now, he felt he could see with his eyes and not break out in new waves of tears. Tsuna was bullied often by delinquents who had all the time in the world to waste, but he had never actually cried this badly. This was a first. He wanted to put the blame on Reborn (the baby had disappeared again, not to say he was all too surprised), but he knew it wasn't really the case.

"I'll be right back. Just stay here, Tsukasa, you'll be safe. I need to deal with the pricks down there." Dino sounded serious.

Tsuna looked up at the blond, meeting determined coffee eyes, and he knew he had no say in this, but he'd still try. After all, no one needed to waste time for _him_, the ultimate, useless tuna. "It's fine, really, Dino-san." However, the Chiavarone had flashed him a cheeky grin before heading inside, disappearing amongst the mass of pool players. Now alone, Tsuna sighed, slumping into the sofa gracelessly, now that there was no one to witness his unladylike actions. So, why exactly did he start weeping so embarrassingly? It was obvious that he could live without comments on his being a disguised Vongola, ability to delete other families, just the fact that he was involved in the mafia, and also being bossed around by Reborn, twenty-four-seven, all day long, and with no freedom to live like any regular high schooler with less than bad grades.

_Calling me a common girl, giving me the creeps with that glare, staring at me like I'm a rare and wild animal put on display, telling me that I _must _do this, the Alice game – I'm fed up with it!_

Footsteps.

Tsuna froze, eyes widening in disdain. He could see the courtyard from where he sat, and there seemed to be a lingering couple roaming the garden.

"Ah, there's someone here?"

A familiar voice. He bolted upright, body tensing. Tsuna knew who this was, and it surprised him to no end. Just what was _he_ doing here?!

"Hmm? A young lady?" There was that teasing edge to that voice he knew so well. This was...abrupt. He didn't think he could handle anything else, especially since coming back from such embarrassment downstairs. Though, this was something else entirely. After all – _hiieeee! It's..._

Tsuna tore his eyes away from the scenery of a lush garden lit up by the entrancing moonlight, gaze slowly locking on the eerily pale yet tantalizing lavender ones of the person he'd known for nearly two weeks. Byakuran was leaning on the stone balustrade, fashionably attractive in a dark Victorian bartender vest, a dodge city white shirt underneath, and black pants of the silk texture that complemented his long and slender legs. His arms were casually resting on the railing, silvery white hair fluttering in the light breeze, pale violet irises radiating a shade of blue under the illumination of the pearl planetoid, and lips drawn into a whimsical and carefree smile.

A click sounded in the mechanical device hidden in his jade earrings. Tsuna blinked away the unshed teardrops collecting in the corners of his eyes, forcing himself to remain calm while feeling his throat dry up completely. Why was Reborn signaling him now of all times?

Byakuran spoke, tilting his head slightly in question, "Seeking solitude?"

Yes or no. No or yes. Either way, he would have to answer. Tsuna kept his voice steady when he replied in a low murmur, wondering in the back of his mind if the waterproof mascara and eyeliner were credible in their claim, "No...just taking a break." _G-gahhh! Why do I have to act like a girl?! I really, extremely, highly despise you, Reborn!_

The older teen was grinning, pushing off the balustrade and strolling over to the brunet, seemingly as laid-back and cheery as ever. Byakuran stopped within a few inches away, a rather dangerous breadth apart, and he lifted a hand to reach for the latter, only to have it stopped midway before coming into contact with the brunet. He blinked, uttering not a word while taking in the startled expression of the latter along with his fragile hand grasping his violating one in resistance. Byakuran let out a surprised noise, "Ah..."

Tsuna was inwardly screaming in fear, but he clamped his aggravation with a grim and contrastingly innocent smile. It was even shocking to himself to see his nonexistent acting skills emerging from nowhere and coming into play in this situation; he finally half understood how disguises could make one more effective. Sort of. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister,,,?"

Byakuran observed the pretty brunette whose recent defiance to his advance, which couldn't really be considered an advance, since he was merely going to wipe away the noticeable traces of tears from her eyes, was more than intriguing. It wasn't usual that girls would give up a chance to be near him, and even less, let him willingly touch them, so this was utterly surprising. He dropped his hand and let out an amused laugh, as if he weren't weighed down by the brunette's silent refusal. "Byakuran. Just Byakuran. And you, my dear lady?" he prompted, surveying the distantly familiar and beauteous face of the latter. Wide pools of brown eyes, medium length wavy hair, complementing, authentic jewelry, and the form-fitting white dress – she could easily be a movie star or a model, although her height was rather short.

There was a pause, and Tsuna took the time to think up a name for himself, since most likely he didn't want the upperclassman to find out who he actually was, but then a quick reminder recalled that he already had an alias. "Tsukasa," he replied, nervous hands hiding behind his back.

"Then, Lady Tsukasa," Byakuran said, smiling smoothly, "would you mind chancing a dance with this lowly servant?"

The floating music from the three-story congregation had drifted into a lullaby of strings and classical piano. A ticking noise from Tsuna's earrings sounded, and the brunet stared at the taller male in shock. "D-dance...?"

* * *

**Rori's Corner:** Uhh, super long chappie. My chappies have a pattern of long to short and then short to long. It took me around 4-5 days to finish this. Or more.

Hehh, don't kill me now. It's to make up for my uh...overdue-ness?

I don't mind if you guys consider me incompetent a writer, but at least appreciate the story LOL Anywaiiz, I love you still~ Byakuran and Tsuna ;3 Xanxus is very bas~tard~ly. But you know you love him.

Finally posting something ;3


	11. Romeo and Cinderella

**Rori's Corner:** Yay for two month's update. Thanks everyone for your entertainment ~ And and and 71 favs and 93 alerts. You make me go zomfgwaowdf.

And, would've posted this yesterday night, except that just when I've finished typing and editing, I became victim to power outage. No internet. WDF? Such luck, seriously. And oh, I know. Freakin' two month's update, but uhmm, I haz excuse _/cheesy grin/_ like, uhh, I have 4 on-going, chaptered projects. So yeah, the earliest I can update is at least a month's wait per chapter. Even so, I'm still slacking. Aharh. Don't mind me. Seriously.

"_**Romeo and Cinderella"**_ _~ Vocaloid_

* * *

Love Makes War

Chapter 11

Tsuna felt completely naked when he stepped onto the fine marble, multicolored spectrum of light dancing over him. He was led by the hand, feet trailing nervously behind the nonchalant upperclassman, Byakuran himself smiling breezily. Uncomfortable was an understatement to Tsuna, who was relatively ready to collapse on the spot in front of hundreds of couples on the ballroom floor. He was anxious, prickly, and more than plain nervous for what he was about to do.

Or what he was about to _try_ to do – dance.

As other couples slowly tread over the marble, chatting in murmurs and chaste smiles, preparing for the first song to begin playing, Tsuna felt himself go numb. His hands were sweaty, and he wondered what he must've looked like after that painfully pathetic scene on the balcony, but his wandering thoughts could not have done much to distract him from the butterflies flitting agitatedly in his stomach. Looking up, he saw the arcing smile and the lilac eyes, tinted with a sheen of lighting under the fluorescent chandeliers.

They looked right through him.

It was no wonder then that Tsuna began to fret, his feet unstoppably shifting, making tiny click-clack noises on the floor that were muffled by neighboring chats. He was uncomfortable, and it quite obviously showed.

"Nervous, miss?" Byakuran said as he bowed by the waist, taking a hold of Tsuna's hand.

"N-no – I mean, just a little..."

With the first high note of the violin strings, the electric lights dimmed and left the ballroom in darkness submerged in flickering and rapidly coming into focus candlelight, which were scented roses and shea butter. The chandeliers swayed, casting flitting dancing spots on the floor-to-ceiling mirrors at the end of the vicinity. When Tsuna didn't move, Byakuran leaned down, gently clasping one of the brunet's hand in his own, holding it up as he tilted his head, a smile that was more of a smirk curling across his lips.

The man was dangerous.

"Shall we begin, m'lady?"

Inwardly squealing in fear, Tsuna's eye twitched as he tried to remain calm. When he saw the other couples already starting to sway and twirl, he stuttered an unsteady breath before obliging in a weak voice, "Yes." It was not a second later that he squeaked when his left arm was lifted up and then manipulated in a resting position around Byakuran's neck, his other hand firmly connected with the upperclassman's own. Fortunately for Tsuna, the ballroom was dark enough that no one could've noticed the blatant redness across his cheeks and over his ears. He could not have been more embarrassed than he was now, as he was slowly moving to the right, led by the cold hand of his senior. His steps were awkward, sometimes too late to match up with Byakuran's and mostly too uncoordinated to result in a real waltz. Facing a dark vest, Tsuna tried to block out any humiliating thoughts that would constantly hack into his mind: he did not need to be reminded of the situation, what he was doing, and what this would undoubtedly do to his pride. If Sasagawa Kyoko saw this...

If Sasagawa Kyoko saw this...! Oh, god.

Tsuna cried out a muffled noise when he unconsciously bumped his head into Byakuran's dress-shirt and abdomen, feeling his face flush a pale color. With his hand that was not being held, the brunet rubbed his forehead, utterly shocked at what he had just done.

"Are you unharmed, Tsukasa-chan?" the carefree voice rumbled from the body Tsuna's face was pressed against. Pulling back in a daze, the Vongola fumbled around anxiously.

"H-hiie! I'm fine, just fine! Are you all right? I didn't mean to bump into you, sorry!" The dancing couple next to them had questioning looks in their eyes, but they quickly averted their attention. Tsuna forgot all about acting feminine, and he would've spouted out more nonsensical apologies if not for the index that was tilting his head up, forcing him to stare into darkly lit irises, ones that flared up a striking lilac when reflected by swaying chandeliers and the warm fingertips lingering against his cheek. At a loss of breath, he only waited.

Byakuran continued to lead their feet, carrying them slowly over to the center of the ballroom as he said smoothly, "You know, Tsukasa-chan, if you want me to claim you, you don't need to stoop to this depth in order to catch my attention." At the confused eyes of the latter, the male leaned down to whisper into Tsuna's ear, "Just say the word, and I'll halt this meaningless dance."

Veering back and consequently treading on Byakuran's foot, the tenth generation boss gasped in shock, covering his mouth with a hand in horror. His chocolate brown eyes flitted around, stunned, as he stared uncomprehendingly up at the elder. _W-what? What's going on? What did he just say? B-Byakuran-sempai can't be s-serious, right? WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!_

"C-c-c-claim me?" squeaked Tsuna. He was taking back a step in numb surprise, when something bumped into him from behind. Stumbling forward with a silent yelp, the brunet found arms encircling him and thankfully keeping him upright.

"Ah, my apologies. I did not see you," a monotonous and quiet voice murmured. A redhead under the lighting of the chandeliers with a young, blonde partner was looking at Tsuna through obscured vermillion irises. He seemed neither moved nor sympathetic, quick to hide in his teenage solitude.

Surprised to see another young person emerge, Tsuna hastily replied, "No, it's fine. I was clumsy," while still unaware of the arm wrapped casually around his waist.

"Enma, _balliamo_," the blonde partner of the redhead said, hand taking hold of his arm. Beyond the ballroom the piano had joined in with the string instruments, as the conductor viciously waved his arms in accordance to the musical notes. The man was signaling the change in dance coordination accompanying the heightening tempos.

The redhead glanced at his partner and sighed just barely, holding out his hand for her. Looking at Tsuna once, he said, "We will be proceeding now. I am grateful to be of assistance." And then the pair repositioned themselves and easily glided into the dancing crowd, disappearing under the dark lighting. Blinking in a stupor, Tsuna was at a loss once more. It wasn't until the warmth resting on his waist shifted and he was manipulated into facing his own partner that he finally came back to his senses.

"Well," Byakuran murmured conversationally, purposely pulling Tsuna closer as he played with a curled lock of brown, "shall we transition into the 'Country Western Waltz?'" Without waiting for a response, he dragged their feet counter clockwise and nonchalantly set their bodies in the Promenade position, lightly brushing against the latter in a V, yet not following the local standard fully as his head wasn't facing the left and Tsuna looking to the right. Instead, Byakuran was staring straight into wide pools of chocolate, relishing in the waver and flinch the brunet had involuntarily reacted.

Tsuna blinked and averted his eyes. His mind was going wild with...wild thoughts. _Did he find out already? What should I do now? Where's Reborn? Where is everyone? H-H-HIIEE! We're really waltzing! I never knew I can dance – oh, I just stepped on Byakuran-sempai. Oops. We're turning counter clockwise again. Why do I feel like it's getting more and more crowded? And it's a bit warm, but it's not bad actually..._Hiie! What was he thinking? This waltz position not bad? He shook his head, and then found himself twirling on the ballroom floor with a hundred other couples, and then he was facing Byakuran again, head in a daze. During his floundering vision, he saw swirly, diamond-encrusted gowns and a wide smile.

"By yourself, Tsukasa-chan?" Byakuran asked, his hand pressing down on Tsuna's. They were near the center of the ballroom where a steel podium stood erect supporting an authentic glass vase decorated with a plethora of colorful strokes. The object glistened faintly under the passing lights, and it was obviously worth at least a couple hundred grands. In front of the vase a nameplate read: "_To the Dancing Stars_."

Tearing his eyes away from the grand item and pushing his shyness down to the pit of his stomach, Tsuna looked up briefly and replied, "Yes." He decided not to risk further conversation, as the things he did usually led to complicated situations. Right now, he was trying at all cost not to cause himself anymore misfortune by busying himself with fooling the upperclassman the best he could. He didn't think he was succeeding.

"Oh? I didn't think your _famiglia_ would let such a vulnerable girl go unprotected." Byakuran sounded mockingly concerned.

Tsuna wondered just how much the man had figured out already. "Ah, um, it's fine. There's plenty of people around. I should be fine."

"I won't be too quick on the uptake. These are, after all," the Millefiore's voice lowered when he leaned down to Tsuna's height, all the while steering them to the middle of the ballroom where affluent Mafiosi and their wife had amassed, "people who rake millions from the misfortune of others. The mafia. You shouldn't let your guard them around them, right, Tsukasa-chan~?"

Shivering at the hushed voice and fanning breath, Tsuna spoke in high-pitch, "T-that..." He trailed off because his legs were starting to go numb. How much longer could he keep up with Byakuran? They were a few inches from the glass vase now, and he noticed the several mafia partners eying the treasure with a malicious glint in their eyes, some in envy and others in anticipation. Clearly this was a valuable item the mafia was aiming to acquire during this international congregation. Suddenly Tsuna's feet stopped moving, and he looked down to see that Byakuran had halted their progression. Bewildered, the brunet glanced up at him inquiringly, despite the cloud of relief washing over him when they finally stopped dancing.

They were irresistibly close, now that there were no movements to prevent their bodies from brushing against each other. Tsuna's left hand was resting on Byakuran's shoulder and his other clasped in the elder's own, and his body was completely trapped by the other. To make things worse, he was manipulated into leaning against the podium the vase was propped on, and so his only escape would have been cut off entirely. Nervously, with butterflies flitting restlessly in his stomach, Tsuna stared up into unreadable dark violet, his own brown eyes surely emitting the insecurity coiling in his crazily thumping heart. There were a few onlookers passing them a glance, but somehow, once catching sight of the white-haired man, they left the situation alone.

And still holding Tsuna's hand, Byakuran pulled it towards his lips, letting the skin touch and react to his subtle kiss. When the brunet made a move to escape, he invaded the little privacy Tsuna had by hooking an arm around the latter's petite waist and tugging him close, meshing their bodies together in a natural embrace. With the Vongola's mouth pressed against his vest, the only noise he managed to utter was a faint gasp. Grinning brightly in victory, Byakuran hummed into the mousey curls, "I wonder if you know a boy named Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

_Hi...hiieee! He found out?_

Quickly, he tore away from the close proximity so hastily that he himself only saw a blur. Stunned, he didn't even feel the hard edge of steel poking into his back, and only came back to mind when he heard the horrendous shattering of breaking glass. At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but at the frozen look on Byakuran's face, he slowly, solemnly, painstakingly, and agonizingly turned his head to see the podium. His heart fell to the pit of his stomach with a loud thud, when he saw the empty spot on top of the podium that was previously occupied by the exorbitant treasure of the mafia congregation. Splattered in glittering, sharp fragments around the bottom of the podium were shards and shards of glass.

"Oh, my god. What happened?"

"Is that the Vase of Dreams? How did this happen?"

"_¡Dios mío! __¿__Q__ue está pasando?_"

"_Mi scusi!"_

He was in a state of shock, rambles in gibberish ringing bizarrely through his head, some of which were: _holy crap! What did I do? W-w-what's going on? Hiiie! What's going to happen to me?_ Some hundred grand vase broken. By his hands. His legs felt like jelly, and he'd almost wished he fainted on the spot. Stone-hard eyes riveted on him, and he took a step back uneasily. _No_. This wasn't happening.

And then the device hidden in his earrings started ticking again. Yet, not just the strange, click-like noise, a ringing alarm had started sounding around the entire edifice. There were shrieks resulting from the women and men in tux turning round and round for a glimpse of what was occurring. Tsuna stood frozen, staring at the vacated podium. He only reacted when another tick-tocking noise echoed in his ears, a noise that was more persistent than the ones prior, and, on a whim, the brunet thought that maybe Reborn had him on surveillance somewhere.

But that didn't matter right now.

His first priority was to escape, his guts were telling him. Tsuna swore to himself that this was it, and that if he made it out alive, he'd skip school for a good week's sleep. Motivated by this thought, he was taking forward a step when he realized who exactly was barring him from his escapade.

"Byakuran-san..." he murmured, his eyes involuntarily locked on the older male's, refusing to move an inch. Now he was retreating a step, subtracting from the move onwards he had taken earlier. Perspiration was warming his body in cold sweat, and Tsuna wondered if he could actually outrun his senior in glass heels. Probably not. _Hiiie! I'm definitely done for now!_

"Tsukasa-chan." His tone was indifferent, like there were no fire alarms ringing and no broken vase worth a hundred grand. Byakuran had on that trademark, casual smile of his, and for reasons unknown, this sent a cold chill up Tsuna's spine. Step by step, he was closing the distance between them, as the whole while Mafiosi were running left and right from the constant ringing.

Opposite to Byakuran's advance, Tsuna kept retreating, a twitchy smile forced onto his lips. "It was a, um, pleasure to m-m-meet you, Byakuran-san, but uh, I need to - "

"Jyuudaime!"

"Ireallyneedtogonow!" squeaked Tsuna in a hurry, quickly averting his gaze when he turned around and made a run for it in the crowd, leaving without a backward glance. His wavy hair fluttered rapidly when he speed-walked, as wearing heels was never a good contribution on an escapade, especially on the marble floor. Thoughts ran wild, and one word screamed at him everywhere: _Gokudera!_ Simultaneously worrying about a white-haired upperclassman catching up to him, Tsuna tried to look over people to spot a silver head. Gokudera, Gokudera, Gokudera, where was he? Amidst this commotion, the orchestra was still playing, but it was an anxious tone the instruments were stringing. Someone had reproduced the electric lights, and once more the edifice was lit brilliantly.

Tsuna was seriously contemplating on running in heels, when his hand was grasped by someone else abruptly. He cried out, eyes looking about wildly in fear, afraid that Byakuran had caught up with him, but he only saw the back of a tall blond with untidy strands of hair. Relief burst in a bubble, and the Vongola breathed deeply, saying, "Dino-san!" And then he muttered an "Ow," when he felt something bump into him from behind.

"_Mi dispiace, signorina_."

Automatically, Tsuna replied, "It's all right," without a second thought. When he looked over at the person who'd bumped into him, his jaw hung open.

Mukuro had barely glanced at him, now busily walking at a brisk pace with Chrome next to him. They were heading for the exit. Tsuna watched them go, mouth gaping speechlessly like a freshly drawn fish.

"Tsukasa? Are you all right?" Dino's concerned voice carried over the musical notes. The piano had outdone itself with a sorrowful piece to accompany the grieving strings. Tsuna nodded dumbly, still stunned. "Anyway, we've got to go. Apparently something's happened during the meeting." The blond guided the Vongola by the hand, pushing past a couple of women who had stopped for a chat albeit the emergency alarms. They were complaining about their sons and daughters-in-law. Dino led them past the dessert stands, quickly approaching the double doors, and as they walked, he asked Tsuna, "Where did you go? I was worried."

The brunet forced himself to concentrate when he answered pensively, "I – well, someone asked for a dance..." His feet felt tired all of a sudden. They were reaching the doors, and it seemed as if there were at least a couple hundred who still hadn't exited the three-story building. Tsuna hadn't even remembered to worry about Gokudera and Yamamoto until they stepped out of the edifice, and then he panicked in a constricted voice, "M-my friends! Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto-kun! I forgot about them, Dino-san!"

"Wait, who?" He looked down at the Vongola questioningly.

"My friends! They're still – "

"I'll go get them. Wait here, Tsukasa," Dino ordered, and then he headed back inside.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Tsuna stood at the top of the stairway for a few seconds, constantly getting in the way of some people's escape. Then, he decided that he couldn't really leave Dino by himself to search for his two guardians, and he exclaimed, "Wait! Wait for me, Dino-san! Dino-san!" However, he was only taking one step forward when he was met with a familiar face. The appearance of the one person he wished would not appear at this exact time and date. "B-Byakuran-san," gasped Tsuna.

"You surprised me, Tsukasa-chan," began Byakuran with mocking disappointment written over his face. He looked angelically demonic in his bartender attire. "I didn't think you would be able to run in those shoes. You could have waited for me."

"I – I'm..." He couldn't find the words. Instinct screamed at him to run, but his body wouldn't oblige. He hesitated, heels making click-clacking noises as he moved backward, step by painful step. It didn't seem as if Byakuran were going to make a move forward – there was no need, as Tsuna was inevitably trapped. Tension became thick with apprehension, and it weighed him down considerably. He thought they were going to stay in that position forever, predator waiting to prance on prey, locked eyes the only telling of the time to go in for the kill. But then the first sign of Yamamoto's spiked, black hair and a scowling Gokudera among the mafia crowd woke him from his moment of frozen shock. Even his legs seemed to have sprung into work with adrenaline.

Byakuran seemed to have noticed his sudden change, for his eyes had become narrowed. "Tsukasa-chan," he muttered dangerously.

"Ah, Byakuran-san," stammered Tsuna with a sheepish smile that contrasted dramatically against his rapid heartbeats, "this is my curfew." Cue in a strained frown of disappointment. _I can't believe it. I'm really acting. I think I can die happy...maybe_. "I really can't hang with you – I mean, linger around now. Goodnight, Byakuran-san! Thank you for this um, wonderful evening." While he was spouting anything that came to mind, he hurriedly ran down the stairs as quickly as he could. There was that limousine parked on the sidewalk, and he hoped the people who were surging out of the building would distract Byakuran long enough for him to reach the vehicle. All that was left now was to trust that Dino would bring Gokudera and Yamamoto – wait...

Dino wouldn't know how Gokudera and Yamamoto looked like. But he did see his two friends just now, when he was at the top of the stairs. But Dino wasn't with them.

"H-H-H-H-HIIIIIEEEE!" Tsuna screeched in surprise when one of his glass heels slid off his feet. He was so close to the sidewalk! He dared not to look back and perhaps see Byakuran emerging from the streaming crowd, and instead he discarded the lost heel and maneuvered his way with his remaining shoe. The limousine was right there, and he quickly knocked on the shaded window. The chauffeur came around to open it without question, and Tsuna dove in, instantly meeting a fedora-wearing baby on the soft leather seat. Gasping for breath, the brunet could only hold up his hand as if to say: "One second please."

"We're heading home straight away. Gokudera and Yamamoto will be picked up by the second car." Before Tsuna could interrupt, Reborn carried on, "Dino has already received my call."

"You called Dino-san?" asked Tsuna in sheer surprise.

Reborn nodded, smirking. "Of course."

Deciding that he was too tired to inquire about anything else, Tsuna easily fell into a lax sleep, dreaming about violins and pianos, having tea under rosebush trees, and then waltzing with an unknown person in the pleasant evening.

Stooping down, the lilac-eyed teenager smiled at the item he saw lying on the stone step.

A glass heel.

Byakuran gently picked it up, the grin on his face never wavering. "Rather like that fairytale, hmm? What was it now – Cinderella, if I recall correctly?"

"Byakuran-sama."

"Yes, Cervello-kun?"

"We can begin whenever you like." A woman with a long mane of dark roseate held a clipboard in her arm, a black nightshade with two holes for leeway of vision obscuring her eyes. She lacked emotion of any sort; a living machine.

Byakuran chuckled, leaning on the railing with a hand cupping his chin, gazing whimsically out into the starry night sky. The commotion of workers in the excavated building made the evening less romantic. "Then, shall we start?"

Cervello replied obligingly, "Yes, Byakuran-sama."

* * *

**Rori's Note:** Happy b-day to me~ Happy BIIIIIRTHDAAYYY dear Prince Rori – okay, fine, I'll shut up.

I'm turning 15 on June 11th. Yay.

Ewuh. I hate turning old.


	12. Stop and Stare

**Rori's Corner:** Epic long hiatus, but here it is, after three months...close to four months of neglect.

"_**Stop and Stare"** ~ One Republic_

* * *

Love Makes War

Chapter 12

If his instinct hadn't felt the presence of an incoming boot to face, he might have been subjected to a new bruise, conveniently number twenty-seven, if he recalled correctly, and that was excluding the rest of his body. From a couple years of endurance and getting used to, Tsuna turned his sleepy self to the side just as the baby's foot stomped on the cover, which might as well have been his cheek.

"Hn, putting up a fight today, Tsuna?"

He grumbled something that he didn't know if they were actual words himself, and continued to try to find nonexistent sleep, as the presence of Reborn was never a calming thought. It was a few seconds later that he should have remembered, albeit still groggy and disoriented, that the bossy arcobaleno had a tendency to snatch his hair with relentless force – very unexpected of someone his size – and drag him out of bed. His forehead connected with the wall, and he groaned. "Ow."

"Hurry up, you idiot. You've got a school to get to."

"Ugh..." He dragged his legs to the direction he assumed to be the restroom, and when he got there, he turned on the faucet, staring at it sleepily. What next? Oh, right. Brush teeth. He was so out of it. What happened last night that drained his energy entirely? He couldn't even think straight. Everything was such a blur, like a dream, and he could only compile pieces and jagged edges of something or another, and eventually he would recall a flash of a familiar face, and then it would disappear. Was that Gokudera? Yamamoto...dessert...tired feet...white hair...

His gaze rested on the spot of blue toothpaste in the sink.

White hair...pale violet...dancing...waltz.

That was a dream, right?

"_Holy crap_! What happened last night?" he shrieked, suddenly very wide awake with his heart beating madly like it was high on sugar. Tasting the mint flavor, he spat it out, washing his mouth with water, and all the while his mind raced with thoughts swarming around a certain upperclassman. He couldn't believe it. He refused to believe it. He never went to a mafia congregation. Gokudera and Yamamoto weren't there. He wasn't crossdressing. No, that was definitely not true. He never wore any girl's clothes! _Oh my god_.

He did.

And he had danced in it – waltzed, to be specific, and he had waltzed with Byakuran, who he'll have to undeniably face today. Unless he called in sick or inform Reborn that he couldn't make it to school because his stomach was refusing to not spit back out his dinner that should have been digested hours ago, or maybe he could escape to the bathroom during homeroom or something, like he usually did back in Namimori for gym class. Either way, he needed an excuse to not come to school today. Or for the whole year. Or maybe for his whole life. Actually, that was a pretty comforting thought. He would be somewhere far, far away from getting eggs on exams and having people laugh at him. A blissful sigh escaped him, and he relaxed – until Reborn's baby face popped into his mind. He had a gun in his hand.

Tsuna started coughing in the middle of rinsing his mouth with water.

When he finally settled in the back of Basil's fancy car, Reborn was already seated across from him, and he seemed to be in conversation with the teenage chauffeur until he arrived. The arcobaleno glanced at him, eyes lacking emotion as usual, "Took your time, didn't you?"

"N-not particularly..." mumbled Tsuna, clipping the seat-belt over himself.

Reborn glanced at him briefly, lips curling. "By any chance thinking of skipping school?"

His cheeks burned. "O-of course not! Ahahaha." He was read through and through. "Fine, it did cross my mind."

"Naturally."

He shot the baby a look. "If you didn't make me do _that_, I wouldn't have."

"On the topic of the mafia congregation, you've performed better than I expected," remarked Reborn with pride. Tsuna flushed, both in embarrassment and disbelief. It was true that earning a compliment from the arcobaleno was difficult, but the compliment was regarding his crossdressing talent! He didn't feel much satisfaction in that. "Proceeding in everyday life, however, you still have much to learn."

The brunet's jaw slackened.

"Anyway, as to how we'll commence from now on," Reborn began conversationally, "you will be the sole attention of the Millefiore. I assume you were shocked that Byakuran is the part of that family."

"You never told me that, Reborn! And then you just pushed me into doing something I'd never _ever_ do – "

"With the Millefiore's keen evaluation, it shouldn't be hard to come to the conclusion that Tsukasa and Sawada Tsunayoshi are one and the same. Up to this point, we're assuming that Byakuran doesn't know the identity of the Vongola heir until yesterday, but there's always outside interaction. We may be played by the Millefiore instead, if they were already aware of the true Vongola. And so the appearance of Tsukasa will only complicate matters. Though the female heir was used to beguile the mafia congregation, if Byakuran were to know that Sawada Tsunayoshi is the true inheritor, the move was pointless. And in fact, if you remember, I did introduce you to your classmates in algebra beforehand."

Tsuna gaped. "So, you're saying that...what we did...no, what I was forced to do, was really just _pointless_?"

"I already said that, and it's on the _if_ side of the matter," denounces Reborn.

"But it's still pointless, because my classmates already know!"

Reborn waved him off like he was an annoying fly. "Redundant. Besides, they are only children who know nothing about the real mafia."

"T-t-t-the..._what_?"

Continuing on as if he had no ear for tedious babble, Reborn said, "With the Millefiore on the lookout, I assume the school may be a bit different than what you were accustomed to, in terms of attention-wise."

"What do you mean by that?" demanded Tsuna.

"We hath arrived, Reborn-dono, Sawada-dono," Basil announced, voicing himself for the first time this morning.

"Ah..." Tsuna let out his disappointment. It seemed like there would be no preparation for the _change_ the arcobaleno had warned him of. He nervously stared at the milling students in front of the Academy gate. His stomach suddenly didn't want to digest his breakfast.

"Well, what are you waiting for, idiot," Reborn chastised, smirking.

Tsuna frowned, stepping out of the car as per Basil's guidance, grumbling, "Fine, I got it already. It's not like I _want_ to be here, especially not when..." he stopped complaining when the whole courtyard became extremely quiet. Suddenly, he could feel all eyes on him, probing, curious, excited, and _demanding_. He was a deer caught in the headlights amidst index-pointers and hushed voices. The noise of other vehicles stopping in front of the school did not deter the pupils' awry interest, and it was almost completely silent until Reborn and Basil appeared behind him. Conversations erupted then, with a few students who insistently blocked Tsuna from moving forward and others who carved way for him. It was like there were two parties, one which supported him, and the other which expressed their clear intentions of disapproval. He gripped the shoulder of his schoolbag, casting scared glances from side to side, wondering what was going on.

"Keep moving forward, Sawada-dono," Basil murmured, one arm ushering the Vongola along and the other outstretched in a bodyguard posture. Reborn simply walked at his own pace, expression obscured by his trademark fedora with Leon as still as a toy animal, perched on the hem of the hat.

"W-w-what's going on?" Tsuna squeaked to his trusty chauffeur, and Basil leaned in.

"It cannot be helped, as the rumors hath spread quickly. There art opposing sides, even in your school. These students art wary due to their parents. They art confused as to whom is the real Vongola heir. Do not fear, Sawada-dono, I hath firm belief that you will persevere," he says, smiling.

_Firm belief that I will persevere?_ Tsuna sweated. "Just wait a second, Basil-kun! What is that supposed to mean?"

The bell rang at that point, signaling that students should be making their way to their locker. Basil gave him a grin and lightly pushed him into the entrance. Tsuna stumbled in, excusing himself when he'd bumped into a senior. He received a glare. Ouch. It was crowded enough that no one noticed who he was, or apparently who he was, as he himself had no idea what the circumstance was. What was there to do when he didn't know the situation at all? What should he say if they started bombarding him with questions? It wasn't like he could honestly answer any of them. He could always deny them, but then Reborn would have more reasons to use him as a his personal punching bag, and that wasn't somewhere he wanted to cross.

"Dude, that Halloween Party was awesome!"

"Takiguchi-kun, what were you dressed as during the horror game?"

"As expected of Millefiore Academy, to be able to produce such a realistic environment in the Alice game. I was a sorcerer."

"Lucky...I was a skeleton."

"Haha!"

"Hey, over there...yeah, him. Didn't your dad say that there was a girl proclaiming to be the tenth generation of the Vongola?"

"Shh, you're not supposed to talk about the mafia in school."

"But for real, what's up with that?"

Tsuna nearly tripped over the step, but he caught himself in time. He sighed in relief, rubbing the perspiration from his forehead. He was about to take the bend to the third floor when he spotted a familiar upperclassman standing next to a female, who was nervously taking out books from her locker on the second floor. That blue hair, arrogant stance, and lean figure. He couldn't be mistaken for anyone else. Tsuna gulped, the view disrupted by several pupils who were heading upward. Did Mukuro know about him, too? After all, he was at the congregation yesterday night. Deciding that he couldn't be bothered with that right now, with only five to six minutes left to and fro locker and class, he hurried up. Hopefully he wouldn't meet anyone else today. He needed to sort out everything first with Reborn.

Why was his life so complicated?

He grabbed the Algebra textbook and left his phone somewhere in his locker. He was lucky that his locker was on top; whoever had the bottom was pretty unfortunate. His first week had passed, but he still didn't manage to see who shared this column of lockers with him. As he was thinking this and shutting his storage simultaneously, someone poked him from behind. It must be the bottom locker owner. He turned around, expecting to apologize for taking space and then promptly excusing himself – only that he couldn't. His mind and body agreed to freeze together, leaving him staring, stunned, at a loss of words. He could feel the familiar rage of anxiety creeping along his thin backbone. If there were a bone back there at all.

Byakuran smiled, waving a hand in greeting. "Good morning, Tsunayoshi-kun."

His head nodded very, very slowly.

The refreshingly pure aura of the upperclassman brightened when he gave the brunet a friendly grin. "I didn't know we share depositories."

Tsuna's lips moved, and he finally forced something out of his throat, "I d-d-didn't know, either. Good morning, Byakuran-sempai!" He didn't know why that came out as a squeak. Maybe he was just physically and _emotionally_ shocked. After all, he was just trying to escape from this person yesterday, and now he had to act like nothing happened. He was shocked that he managed to stay still and not desperately bolting like a flash of shame down the hallway, away from this scarily nonchalant mafioso. Maybe he did improve in the past year. It was difficult to believe.

"Ah, good morning," Byakuran hummed, kneeling on one knee to turn the combination to his locker. Tsuna hastily stepped aside, but found the move useless when he was promptly pushed right back in place by someone's freshman bookbag. The white-haired junior's locker clicked open, and Tsuna glanced down to see that his books were rather messily leaning on each other, and stray papers fluttered out from the depository. He was surprised that the perfect-looking upperclassman had as untidy a locker as he did, and that thought was comforting yet strange at the same time. Byakuran had an unabashed smile on; he obviously didn't care much about the state of his depository. "Guess I'll have Shou-chan help me with this situation."

"I didn't think Byakuran-sempai would have this kind of a locker," remarked Tsuna before he could stop himself. At the junior's interested glance in his direction, he waved his hands hurriedly in an attempt to redeem himself. "N-no, I m-mean – "

Byakuran started laughing, causing some students to look at them, and Tsuna shrunk against the wall of lockers, trying to hide himself. "No, you're right, Tsunayoshi-kun!" he said in a carefree tone, plucking a textbook from the sprawl of books. "But I do wonder what you mean by that. I can't be that stuck-up, right, _Sawada-chan_?"

_HIIIIE!_ _This suddenly feels dangerous!_ Tsuna subconsciously rubbed his forehead, chest thumping frighteningly. "O-o-o-o-of course not, ahahaha...ha!"

"You know, Tsunayoshi-kun is a really interesting person," Byakuran commented dryly, locking his depository with a sound click and then standing up to his full height, which was rather threatening when compared to the Vongola's 157cm, a stumpy 5'2. Naturally, the brunet took a few steps back impulsively. Byakuran grinned down at him, an arm carrying a science textbook – Biology, Tsuna noted when he tried to evade eye contact. His wide brown eyes went back to the pale lilac anyway, as if a magnetic pull were acting on him. The clattering and yelling of the hallway seemed to pause, as if time had stopped momentarily once more, just like the first time they met.

It was almost a coincidence, or maybe it was controlled by a puppet master somewhere. Tsuna felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. He didn't remember what he was doing anymore. Was he trying to get to class? The cold, analyzing eyes weren't telling him anything.

"By the way, Tsunayoshi-kun. I wonder if you have a relative or sibling of some sort?"

He blinked, and the hallway noise came back. People were moving again. Somehow, that brought relief into his frozen body, and he found himself responding. "Ah, uh, maybe? Not a relative, but...maybe a cousin?" He was swimming in dangerous water. Maybe _drowning_ was more of an accurate word to describe his situation.

Byakuran's striking eyes opened briefly to assess him, and Tsuna righted his expression, trying to appear undaunted, as if he had nothing to hide, which he did. Quite a lot, actually. "Is that so? Well, I met this young lady at a dance the other night." He cocked his head, smiling. Tsuna hesitantly gave a twitchy smile back, anxious for what he would say next. Was it something that would tear apart his currently already twisted life? "Her name is Tsukasa. Tsukasa-chan," he repeated whimsically, like she was a close friend of his. Tsuna tightened his hold on his schoolbag. "She reminds me of you a lot, quite frankly. Not that, of course, I'm suggesting that you are in fact a girl." Byakuran chuckled at the paleness in the Vongola's face. "Ah, you're white like a ghost, Tsunayoshi-kun. It makes me wonder if you have something to hide, after all." There was that clever, mysterious smirk on the upperclassman's lips, and Tsuna squirmed.

"N-n-no, uh, about that Tsukasa...chan, I don't really know," he stammered, trying for a chuckle, but it ended up trailing nervously.

"Don't worry about it," Byakuran told him. "Besides, we only have a minute left to get to class. Don't want that detention, now, do we?" He grinned, patting Tsuna's shoulder as he passed by, breaking into a run around the hallway to the other side and waving at a personnel who gave him a raised brow. His tall figure was gone within mere seconds.

Tsuna stared, and then something hit him in the head. Hard. "Eh? One minute?"

"Hurry up, one minute left. You don't want to be late to class," a guard ushered from the left, clapping her hands to get the last-minute students riled up. Tsuna rushed down the hallway towards 306, sneaking inside and swiping his ID just as the bell rang.

"In your seat, in your seat, Sawada," the teacher hurried him. Tsuna wiped his brow, panting, and went to look for his seat. Where did he sit last week? Oh, there, Yamamoto was waving at him from the back with that comforting grin of his. He felt immediately more relaxed, and his lips gave way to an uplifting smile.

"I thought you weren't going to be here, Tsuna," the dark-haired teen said. He didn't seem to be affected much by the strange get-up that the Vongola appeared in the other night.

He dumped the textbook on his desk and sat down heavily. "I didn't think so, either." Sighing, he then laughed sheepishly. "I don't want to stay after school on the second week. It's tiring enough as it is," he groaned, slumping over in his seat and leaning his head on the desk.

"Hey, I wouldn't do that, either. By the way, teacher says we've got a quiz today. Whoever fails is going to have to stay after school to retake it."

"A quiz?" Tsuna jumped, startled.

Yamamoto looked at him with sympathy, chuckling. "Seems like we're both staying."

"You two back there, stop chatting. Yamamoto, turn around. Get you pencil out, Sawada."

There was a stony silence as each pairs of eyes trained on Tsuna; even Mr. Takayari looked uncertain, and with all the unnerving attention behind him, Yamamoto turned to see what was going on as well. Tsuna was taking his utensil out, but when he felt the sudden focus concentrated on him, he had looked up to be met with curious eyes, including Yamamoto's questioning brown. His lead snapped on the smooth desk without him noticing. After what seemed like forever, the teacher cleared his throat, moving to the next row to hand the quizzes, and everyone looked away. There was a tense atmosphere that Tsuna couldn't figure out, although it was clear enough that his fellow classmates were dying to interrogate him about _something_. That something in which even the teacher was involved in.

He looked down at his paper, and his eyes bugged out of their socket. He noticed that Yamamoto was tapping his pencil butt on the quiz, palm cupping his chin thoughtfully. It really did look like they would be staying after school.

A half hour passed, and the quiz was taken away. Tsuna stretched his arms, yawning, thinking about how many answers he left blank. "How was it, Yamamoto-kun?" he asked.

His friend turned around, a sheepish grin already tugging at the corner of his lips. Tsuna guessed that they were unfortunately in the same boat. "Not good. You?"

"Probably worse than you."

They shared a laugh.

When the period was over, they began to tread the crowded hallway to their advisories, and around the corner was Gokudera, waiting under the wide window for Tsuna. The silver-haired teen immediately bowed his head like a dutiful bodyguard, while Yamamoto bid farewell. Torn by whom to respond to, it was already too late for Tsuna to tell his right-hand man to stop doing that in public, or anywhere at anytime in general. "Jyuudaime," he acknowledged respectfully.

"Gokudera-kun, good morning." Leaning in, Tsuna muttered, "And can you not..._do_ that in front of everyone? It's – " he couldn't find the word to describe the horrible feeling of being embarrassed without sounding entirely rude, but it seemed like the mafioso understood. It was just that he always tended to twist the understanding into something that the Vongola didn't initially acted upon. In this case, Gokudera nodded to show that he totally comprehended.

"I apologize, Jyuudaime!" He bowed again as they were on a landing, and several students gave them a weird look. Tsuna flushed. "As I thought, I should've met you when you were coming out of your house this early morning. Showing my personal greetings in school is rather inconvenient with these bugs buzzing around disrupting our precious time. I'll keep that in mind, Jyuudaime!"

"Ah, w-wait, what do you mean when I was coming out of my house? Eh? You were there?" Tsuna looked at his fiery friend anxiously.

Gokudera slapped his hand on his chest. "Of course, boss! It's my duty as the right-hand man to ensure your safety!"

"But that doesn't mean you have to _stalk_ me!"

"You're misunderstanding the situation, Jyuudaime! I would never do such a...such an inappropriate thing!" Gokudera's cheeks colored. "As a family member, I must be one-hundred percent sure that my boss is in good hands. However," he trailed off, a dark cloud hanging over him ominously, and Tsuna froze, head inching slowly to see his friend in deep, gloomy resignation. "However, if Jyuudaime would prefer me to not be a hindrance, I will, as the right-hand man, do as told."

Instantly, the Vongola started moving his hands haphazardly in response. "No, no, no, I'm sorry, Gokudera-kun! You can keep doing whatever you want, I don't really care!"

Gokudera brightened up, beaming at him. He jutted his thumb into the air. "If you say so, boss!"

Sighing, Tsuna looked away, entering their advisory.

It was then that he realized that things were going to be much, much more terrorizing than he thought today would be.

For there, displayed on a pedestal in the back of the classroom, was an agonizingly familiar glass shoe, and at that moment, a female classmate was trying it on with a butler-like man guiding her foot in.

Tsuna squeaked, backing into Gokudera, and the mafioso held him steady, becoming alert. "What's wrong, enemy attack?" he demanded.

The Vongola just stared in fear as the girl's face screwed up in pain. The glass shoe dropped onto the floor; it was simply too loose for her foot, everyone could tell.

"The next lady, please," the man called, and Tsuna fell lower into fear when he saw the feminine majority of the advisory standing in line.

He was so, so screwed.

However, the day was only going to get better, he realized, when the popular trio, leading in front with the blond, Bel, next with Mukuro, and lastly, the ever calm Byakuran, arrived in homeroom.

"Hey, what the hell? Isn't that Jyuudaime's shoe from the mafia congregation?" Sharp as ever, Gokudera already took note of the problem.

Tsuna slapped his forehead, hiding his face behind his backpack.

_I'm doomed_.

* * *

**Rori's Corner:** Thanks for the wishes from last time, everyone! Although it's kind of late. I love you all~

I wanted to write a longer chapter, but I felt that a.) I'm lazy, and b.) need to confirm to everyone I'm still alive. Let's see who's going to read this XD I PROMISE TO GET SOMETHING UP EARLIER NEXT CHAPTER, MY LOVES. There are some mistakes, since I haven't bothered to edit. But. Yeah. Love you all~


	13. Decode

**Rori's Corner:** By "earlier," I didn't mean 3 to 4 months of neglect. I meant one. And one-third.

Oho.

Not. 3 months' update on the point!

Actually, I planned to update on November 7th, LMW's one-year anniversary, but of course, I didn't. Laziness. And surprisingly, this chapter was more difficult to write. It became easier in the later pages, but yeah, it was pretty damn hard. I even got to start writing two weeks after chapter 12, but, yeah, whatever.

Anyway, 1-year anniversary of LMW passed, and what does that tell me? It tells me I need to get my ass moving. I'm still only on chapter 13, and there are lots more to go. Oh woe is me.

Thanks everyone for still reading and faving and alerting and reviewing and everything LOL. 113 Faves and 136 Alerts, wao. Here's the next chapter, which is basically the end of the beginning of the beginning of the story. Yeah.

"_**Decode"** ~ Paramore_

* * *

Love Makes War

Chapter 13

"Progress, Geronimo?" was Byakuran's inquiry first thing upon arriving in homeroom.

The butler bowed, shaking his head. "There is no progress, young master." He straightened his posture, nodding respectfully towards Mukuro and Bel while entirely ignoring the girl on the chair who was waiting to try on the glass heel. "However, there are still ladies who are willing to participate in your search, sir."

Byakuran glanced at the feminine majority standing in line, and they blushed. Bel giggled, walking over to the butler and carelessly slinging his arm around the man's shoulder, mouth stretching into a Cheshire grin. He whispered to the butler deviously, "Hey, Geronimo. Want to do your prince a favor?"

Mukuro raised a brow at the blond's motive, and he shared a look with Byakuran. "What's the idiot up to now?"

"Something interesting," the white-haired spawn of the devil replied, grinning.

"Really. I would've reckon it to be another one of his maniacal schemes. It's quite a wonder that he hasn't been expelled for all the impurities he has committed on school grounds. Sneaky bastard," said Mukuro, smirking as his index finger traced his abnormal, crimson eye.

Satisfied, Bel skipped over to their corner, smiling triumphantly with his white teeth glinting maliciously.

"Did you find my butler interesting?" Byakuran asked.

"Ushishishi! Curious to know, smiley-face?" the blond countered with his own question.

"Possibly."

Bel's lips twitched. "Just wait and see, then. Shishishi!"

"Interesting," Mukuro murmured, crossing a leg over the other and leaning back in his seat. "Does it have anything to do with the little squirrel over there with his ever protective greyhound?"

"Your metaphors are always so brutal, Rokujo-kun," remarked Byakuran, his attention following the scrawny brunet who was talking to the Advisory teacher, Lancia. The man gave his permission, and Tsuna left the room with his silver-haired bodyguard, the rebellious teen covering him from behind with all intentions to thwart Byakuran's perspective.

"We can't let the main player get away, now, can we?" Bel said, making a move towards the door, but Mukuro held him back.

The navy-haired junior smiled darkly. "They'll be back. Besides, our Millefiore here has an affair with Miss Vongola, who just happened to have broken a costly antique at the party yesterday night."

"A valuable family asset," added Byakuran thoughtfully. "It'll be a pain to replace, don't you agree?"

The trio shared a conspiring amusement at his comment.

"We'll just wait until the line has thinned, and the rabbit decides to return."

* * *

"Sorry, Gokudera-kun, for having you tag along with me," Tsuna apologized in the boys' restroom. He dipped his hands into the cold water spraying from the faucet, his whole body shivering. November is just like October, full of scaly wind and wintry air. He washed his face, driving himself away from his half-woken daze. Gokudera handed him a white paper towel, and he thanked him.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Jyuudaime! I've said so before; this is my duty as the right-hand man. Besides, now that the enemy is stepping forward, I must do everything I can to protect the boss from harm."

"You really think Byakuran is after me?" inquired the brunet, staring hollowly at his reflection. Water drops slid off his bangs onto the counter, and he watched as his friend nodded resolutely. Gokudera met his gaze evenly.

"We mustn't let him uncover your identity."

Tsuna sighed, dropping his head and looking at the pristine, white surface. "But Reborn told me to befriend him."

"He did?" By the incredulous tone of the other, he guessed Gokudera didn't know of his little _mission_.

"Yeah. I don't think it's possible," he groaned.

"I thought Reborn-san meant for us to assassinate the Millefiore! Wasn't that what the Ninth wanted?"

"A-a-assassinate?" squeaked Tsuna, spinning on his heels to look at Gokudera.

"Since the Vongola and the Millefiore are at odd ends with their equal power and authority in Italy, the division of territory can easily be disrupted at any time by disobedient family members who have too much pride, with enough ludicrous ideas to start banters with the others. There is an unofficial treaty between us and the Millefiore, but we have yet to make an actual truce with them," explained the bomber. "And that's why, if we want absolute control over Italy and rise as the strongest Family, the easiest route is to eliminate our opponent."

"B-b-but, _us_? I'll never do something as crazy as assassinate someone! Besides, the Ninth told me to befriend him. I think it's better to just form a treaty instead of doing some shady business to get what you want," Tsuna said, shaking his head. "Even if I don't want to be the next Vongola or whatever, I agree with the Ninth's choice. There's no point in a mafia war!" _Or mafia in the first place_, he thought begrudgingly.

Gokudera surprised him by dropping down on one knee, a hand placed over his heart. Tsuna paled, seeing the top of his silver hair. He knew what was going to happen next, and something in him did not like it one bit. In a solemn but determined voice, his right-hand man declared, "I, Gokudera Hayato, obey only the Tenth of the Vongola Famiglia, the next boss of the family, and whatever Jyuudaime says, I shall follow without complaint."

"Hiiie! That's enough, Gokudera-kun! Stand up, I don't want that kind of word from you! It's too strange!" He flapped his hands urgently to get the teen off the restroom floor, but Gokudera remained stubbornly on his knee. He sweated. This time, Gokudera seemed to be putting his heart into this.

"I apologize sincerely for my previous actions. But Jyuudaime, if you let the Millefiore continue what they're doing, I'm sure there will be consequences! We can't let them step all over us!"

"S-step all over us?" squeaked Tsuna. "I think you've got the wrong idea, Gokudera-kun. Byakuran-sempai isn't..."

"_Ah, you're white like a ghost, Tsunayoshi-kun. It makes me wonder if you have something to hide, after all."_

"...like that..." He hung his head, trailing off as his eyes stared at the white tiles. No, Gokudera was right. At this rate, Byakuran would expose his secret. What was the point of appearing at the congregation as a _girl_? Was it plain sadism? Reborn was fooling him. The more he pondered, the more that thought appealed to him. Certainly, that would be the only reason to place him in this crisis. He wouldn't put it past the arcobaleno to do something like this intentionally. Byakuran must have known all along that he was Tsukasa, and now he clearly wanted to manifest his false identity to the entire public. Tsuna felt like he was thrown into a pit where the sun didn't shine and left to be dinner to a pack of wolves.

"We can just say that Tsukasa was a replica of boss to test the families," Gokudera told him, standing up. His jade eyes were bright with a plan. They influenced Tsuna to think positively. For looking like a street smuggler, he was actually a very accommodating guy. At least, whenever he was around Tsuna. "It made sense, if you think about it, Jyuudaime. Clearly Reborn-san would've thought Tsukasa as a mere pawn who would lead the other families to believe that the Vongola's next boss is a weakling. Once our enemies start to plan to assassinate 'Tsukasa,' we can take them out early on, so that if we have a future mafia war, some are prematurely wiped off the battlefield. It's a sturdy plan, if we look at it this way."

"Gokudera-kun..." Tsuna said, a bit unsure, but he was impressed with his friend's ideas. He would never have thought of it in such a positive light. Gokudera was quite the tactician, even though his looks were quite contradictory. Maybe his mom would appreciate a son like him, who had the looks, the brain, and the determination for success. Gokudera was the complete opposite of him, and it made him wonder exactly _why_ he chose to follow him. It wasn't like he was really going to be next generation boss or anything, even if Reborn claimed he were. Gokudera would be much better off as the right-hand of someone else, instead of the useless dame-Tsuna, who obviously didn't deserve the admiration and loyalty he was receiving. Somehow, this situation only made him feel worse about himself.

"Our plan for now is to keep silent. The Millefiore can't possibly put Jyuudaime on the spot, not in such an inappropriate setting. I think it's best to consult this matter with Reborn-san first."

Tsuna nodded. They were taking far too long in the restroom anyhow. However, there was still one question plaguing his mind. It was the one question he was dying to ask this guy. "Gokudera-kun," he started abruptly, "at that haunted mansion, were you there?" He thought for a moment and then added, "With me? I think it was just my imagination, but..."

"Jyuudaime, I unfortunately weren't with you," Gokudera replied, just as he was reaching for the exit. "It was all illusions caused by at least fifty mist guardians. The incantations were activated by the first step you took into the mansion, and the hallucinations were invoked by a person's fears. At least, I assume that that was the method behind the scenario. Because there's no way that Jyuudaime could ever – " he paused, his entire face flushed with color.

"No way that I could ever..." questioned Tsuna.

Gokudera cleared his throat, turning his back on the Vongola guiltily. "It's not something you should concern yourself with, boss. We should head back to homeroom."

"Right," the brunet agreed tonelessly, still curious as to what his friend was about to say. What _was_ Gokudera afraid of? He didn't seem like a coward of any sort. Maybe it was just a personal thing, after all.

They were in front of the Advisory door, and for very obvious reasons, his stomach was doing rapid somersaults. It was a bit crazy inside his intestines; he felt like there were worms scrawling all over his stomach. A shudder ran through him.

Gokudera pushed the frame, and they stepped in. One look, and Tsuna slapped his forehead.

_Why is he _doing _this to me?_

Reborn was standing proudly on Mister Lancia's desk, his wide pools of black twinkling in amusement. He was interrupted mid-speech by the opening of the door, and each pairs of eyes which were previously focused on him riveted on the new occupants of the room. Something was amiss, Tsuna noted, even excluding Reborn's alarming presence. When he looked further, he saw that the line had lengthened for the glass slipper, and no longer were only girls waiting, boys who were of identical height were, too. It was amazing how quickly his mind processed the information, when he was shell-shocked by what _could_ happen now that Reborn was added into the picture. One thing was obvious: he was busted.

"Reborn-san," Gokudera had acknowledged in a surprised tone. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to supervise my student, Gokudera. It seems as if you have been doing your job well," commended the arcobaleno.

Gokudera beamed with pride.

"Come in, you two," Lancia ordered from his position beside the baby.

Tsuna reluctantly followed his friend inside while insistently giving Reborn the "what do you think you're _doing_" look. He took his seat in the right corner, as far as possible from the wicked trio in the far left and his evil tutor. He felt a passing glance, and he looked from the corners of his eyes to see Byakuran whispering something to Mukuro. Oh, this would not be good.

"As I was saying, this would be a better way to avenge your family treasure, yes, Byakuran?" Reborn asked. The junior smiled, chin cupped by a hand. "As the private tutor of the Vongola, I have come to to break regulation for the duration of my presence."

Chatters prickled like wildfire.

"Silence!" barked Lancia-sensei.

"What is he talking about?" Tsuna whispered quickly to Gokudera.

"Reborn-san is probably referring to the code of silence, the prohibition of participating in mafia matters while in the Academy," his friend whispered back. "Though," Gokudera gritted his teeth, "I don't know why he's saying that in front of a bunch of losers here. These dumbass kids won't know the mafia if it hits them in the face – "

"Gokudera, zip it."

He shut up, glaring at the teacher.

"As all of you know, news of the next generation of Vongola has surfaced overnight," Reborn continued, looking at each student eye to eye. "However, as part of the Vongola Famiglia myself, I will say that there are more than one candidate in the line of heirs, and one may not necessarily be the definite Tenth until the final judgment." He tipped his fedora. "That is all. Please, carry on, young students of the mafia lineage," Reborn concluded, a small smirk on his otherwise impassive, baby face.

Lancia nodded at the arcobaleno, who had jumped down to land squarely on the floor, and accompanied him to the door. The two conversed outside of the classroom, a dark expression on both of their faces.

Tsuna was staring at Reborn suspiciously, but lost track of him when the door closed, as the arcobaleno was too short to be seen, but his attention shifted when Gokudera nudged his elbow. He turned, and then all color drained from his face. It was only a split second, but he _knew_ that everyone was looking at him for the _second_ time today. The faces turned away, settling on areas that would not betray their interest in him, a supposed candidate in the line of Vongola heirs.

Lancia-sensei rapped his work desk, gaining the students' attention. "Byakuran, we only have ten minutes left in Advisory. I know you have privileges as the Millefiore heir, but we have procedures as teachers."

"Oh, don't worry, sensei," Byakuran smoothly replied, smiling widely. "Geronimo was just about to leave." The broad butler nodded in agreement, and the last girl on the trying chair raised her foot for the glass heel. As the man gracefully glided her toes into the shoe and fitted her foot inside it snugly, Tsuna could hear his heart pounding loudly in his throat.

"Hey, the rabbit over there hasn't tried it on, has he?" declared the obnoxious _prince_ from his seat on the opposite end of the room.

Gokudera moved, but Tsuna gripped his wrist and forced him back into his seat. The tension was high, and his attention was distracted from the girl trying on the heel. He gulped, sweating, as Bel grinned at him. Mukuro was smirking slightly as well. His seniors were all watching attentively.

However, before he could answer, he was saved by Geronimo's deep voice:

"Young master, I believe we have found the perfect fit. Is this the lady from the ball?" he referred to the blonde, who was gushing with excitement. Gasps swept across the room like a gust of wind.

Tsuna felt like he was going to faint. But was this feeling relief or guilt? If Byakuran pronounced this a "yes," then he was let off the hook. At the same time...it wasn't the girl's fault. She couldn't possibly take the blame for him! But there was no way at all that Byakuran would mistake _her_ for him, right? Even if he were in disguise. The likeness was totally off. There was no similarity between Tsukasa and the blonde, whom he still had yet to know the name of. If so, then, there was also no way in hell _he_ was going to escape. Byakuran must want him to personally humiliate himself, because if someone broke something of his that would be equivalent to the value of the vase that he oh-so-smartly demolished, he would probably be pretty furious, too.

"Oh, you're right, Geronimo. In fact, you _do_ look quite familiar. What's your name again?"

"E-eek! I–I mean, my name's Haruka, B-B-Byakuran-san! Ah, uh, I believe we met at the party the other night, I mean, of course, I look different now – oh gosh, this is so embarrassing! Like, well, I was rushing, and I always liked Cinderella, but I just – "

"Young master, I will take my leave," Geronimo interrupted. Haruka blushed when she met everyone's disbelieving gaze, but the scarlet red disappeared when she encountered her friends' bitter glares.

Tsuna felt absolutely guilty, but shock overrode the guilt. He didn't expect the junior to agree to this girl. It was strange, but he felt like he was being ensnared even deeper into the depth of doom, even though he was going to be let off the hook.

Actually, he had qualms about that. No, it was a premonition. He was being played by Byakuran, he knew. A shiver ran down the dip of his spine, and his palms prickled with sweat, tingling.

"Haruka-chan, then!" chirped Byakuran. His hands folded and intertwined in a professional manner. "I'm afraid you will have to repay the five hundred and sixty-eight grand you unfortunately caused to the Millefiore family's antique item, the Vase of Dreams." He leaned back in his chair, smiling sweeter, looking as if this were an unimportant business transaction. "I would like to have the due amount by tomorrow afternoon."

Haruka's elated face dropped so quickly to be replaced by a stunned expression that Tsuna felt his own heart wrenching. It was painful to watch, and it was really _his_ fault, but did he really want that sum on his name? It would be like paying off debt, but without the interest. Maybe. He didn't have the money for that!

"Haruka, you can't! Remember, your dad was fed up with your spending two days ago!" the blonde's friend hissed urgently under her breath.

The poor girl couldn't muster a proper expression, and seeing her struggle with herself in front of her peers, Tsuna couldn't control himself anymore. He was a person who wouldn't have the strength to stand up for himself, but when people got hurt because of _him_, it was a different story. He couldn't just stand by and let it play – he was really a hypocrite by stopping Gokudera from defending him.

Before he knew it, he had stood up and was saying in an unsteady voice, loud and clear, to the class, to Lancia-sensei, and especially to the white-haired junior, Byakuran, "It's not Haruka-san's fault! Something like that, it was just an accident, right, Haruka-san?" He looked at her, but she was too surprised to respond. He was surprised at himself, too, and, like math, it took a little longer for information to sink in. The embarrassment couldn't catch up to the blinding speed his sense of righteousness was running at.

"Good job, Jyuudaime! As expected from boss." He could hear Gokudera whispering to him.

Byakuran didn't look too surprised. Was it just him, or did the junior just brighten even _more_? "A knight of honor, aren't you, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsuna flushed and quickly dumped his weight on his seat. Enough humiliation for today. "I-I...I just think that it's not fair for her to be...you know," he mumbled, his spirit subsiding into a mush of knobbly backbone.

"In that case, since you're offering yourself in Haruka-chan's unlucky place, why don't we have a deal?" Byakuran suggested, smirking in the corner of his lips.

All ears were listening, even Lancia's, even though he pretended to be typing away on his desktop.

"What deal," Gokudera asked suspiciously, his jade eyes narrowing at the junior.

_Yeah, what deal? I don't remember saying I want to pay up for her_, Tsuna thought, his cowardly nature coming back ten times more powerful.

"Since I take it that Tsunayoshi-kun, a gentleman like always, wants to pay the debt in the princess's place, I'll provide him more time to gather the correct sum."

"In other words," Mukuro spoke up suddenly, his sultry voice matching his amused eyes, "you will have to serve the school for a required amount of time until you pay up the debt."

_I have a very, very bad feeling about this_.

"What kind of service?" inquired Tsuna with dread. His mouth was going dry.

"Ushishishi, welcome to the Host Club, Vongola!" Bel said, to the amazement of everyone besides Mukuro and Byakuran, who had anticipated something of this sort when the genius prince began planning with Geronimo.

"_HUH?_"

* * *

**Rori's Corner:** So, early Christmas present, people!

And yes, I do listen to Kpop, Jpop, Cpop (well, not really, but I do love Tank and a few others 8D) and etc.

There was this author who wrote chapters the same length of _Valentine's Crisis_, and that made me embarrassed that I take longass time to update chappies not even 1/3 it's length. DAMN.

Some things explained in this chapter, and more things moving. As a precaution, I have decided to raise the fic's rating to M for later chapters, _muahahahaha_!

No edits this time, either. No more time to stall 8D


	14. 1 2 3 4

**Rori's Corner:** Um. Yeah. About that couple month update thing... (all right, that was more than "a couple months" but hey, THIS IS SPAAAAARTA!)

And I actually had this finished in like February or something, but...I was gonna write more. But damn, I'm too lazy for the rest of the crap, so here it is!

" _**1, 2, 3, 4 " ~ **Plain White T's_

* * *

Love Makes War

Chapter 14

His face probably looked as sweaty as he felt. His feet padded across the mud excruciatingly slowly, the cuffs of his rolled-up navy uniform stained with the brown dirt. His mind screamed at him to get to the exit, but his body was too slackened by the pain of lugging the damn cargo filled with loads of explosives – seriously, did the school care if one of the students accidentally set them off and break an unfortunate leg? – with his gloved hands to actually listen to his brain.

The strain was unbelievable on his probably swollen fingers. He had been going like this for the whole period of Training Camp, from the start of the race track to the imminent end, where a white truck parked waiting for all the cargoes to deposit in the trunk of the vehicle, and despite Lal Mirch's assurance that this exercise will strengthen his arms and his abdomen, that the students were doing the Japanese military a favor by carrying these weapons of destruction, Tsuna felt that this was just another one of the evil teacher's sadistic plans to exhaust her pupils until they turned into zombies.

Yes, he believed in zombies.

A positive was that the child labor occupied his mind with thoughts of nothing but food, food, and food, and that was better than thinking about how sore his arms were. He kept wondering what today's lunch menu was. He heard the cafeteria was serving American. Wiping his brow, he looked around to see that a few of his peers were actually behind him.

Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief, happy that he wasn't last, for once. However, looking to the front, he could see that three-fourth of his class were waiting for the weaklings to finish, and Lal Mirch was glancing at her watch every now and then.

Oh, of course. What was he expecting, a break in being loser-Tsuna from the past fourteen years?

Not possible.

He sighed, trudging across the remaining feet. Someone handed him a wet towel, and he looked up to thank the person, but a spluttered garble came out instead, "F-Fran?"

"Chibi-kun," the emerald-eyed peer replied unenthusiastically.

Tsuna laughed breathlessly, his lungs gasping for air from the workout. "I didn't know we were in the same camp!"

"I transferred here, because I didn't like my other teacher."

"Oh." Tsuna stretched his back, feeling sore all over. Lal Mirch had the same training schedule as Reborn, it seemed. That was obviously not a comforting thought. He heaved another sigh, wanting the period to be over and done with already.

"We can leave now. Class is up," Fran told him helpfully, giving him a look that he couldn't decipher.

It was probably along the lines of "I'm telling you so you can wash yourself. You stink."

Or maybe that was Tsuna's own insecurity.

Or maybe he did stink. That wasn't a comforting thought.

Either way, it made for a nice dismissal. He smiled hesitantly at Fran, wondering if he should thank him. He decided to question him instead. "When's your lunch period?"

"Seventh."

Tsuna almost nodded, when Fran added in, "I had my lunch period changed because a certain group of preps were annoying me."

By a certain group of preps... Tsuna gave him a sympathetic look. "You mean Bel-sempai?"

Fran hummed pensively out of tune. "That," he agreed.

"That's understandable. Actually, I would like to change it, too, but if I do, I wouldn't know where to sit during lunch. I mean, I just transferred here a week ago. I have no idea what to do," he said. For some reason, it was just really easy to complain to his strange green-haired classmate. Maybe it was because it felt like they'd been through a whole lot together, even if it were only one night of madness. He was a natural whiner, anyhow, so getting the weight off by talking did him more than just plain great. "I can't get out of doing anything, because someone's always there to kick me if I do, and now I just so happened to be forced into the Host Club, or something."

He paused.

Fran stopped walking.

Tsuna gasped, jaw wide in horror. His legs jumped to life, pacing around and around on the same spot in the hallway where they wound up when he was too busy to notice while spilling his beans. He had just mentioned the H and the C word. And to think he had forgotten about it, too! He swallowed a girly scream of frustration.

"The Host Club! Oh my freakin' god, I'm going to have to see them today. Oh no, no, no, no, maybe I should pretend I'm sick. Or, a better idea, hide in the library. No one ever looks there, right? Right?" he spoke to himself furiously, hands tugging at his hair.

"Uhhh, chibi?" came Fran.

"Maybe I should tell Reborn that I suffocated from child labor – oh, wait, I forgot that he supports cotton mills..."

This was turning out to be a real thrill.

He scratched his head, messing up his gravity-defying mousey hair with vigor.

It was then that his stomach chose to growl. His hand flew over it, but it was too late for an attempt to cover up the sound.

"You should eat," Fran told him. His emerald eyes looked him over. "And get changed out of those," he added, nodding at his sweat-stained gym uniform. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was implying.

"Right," Tsuna agreed, sniffing at himself and recoiling with a grimace. He did stink.

"Bathrooms for first and second years are in building C. Take the school trailer if you want to get there quickly. Lunch has already started, so I think you should hurry up." Fran's voice was like a bus intercom announcing its final stop.

"Okay. Thanks, Fran-kun," he replied meekly.

His strange classmate merely nodded and continued his enigmatic way down the hall, but with a noticeable pep in his step, Tsuna thought. He smiled a little, realizing that Fran might not be so hard to befriend, after all.

After a wild encounter of people who kept giving him the least detailed directions, Tsuna finally ended up in the first year bathroom. There were multiple private stalls with steam fogging up the mirrors, and the prodigious vicinity was wider and longer than the whole second floor of Tsuna's house. Feeling a tad out of place, he passed by several barely covered teens, most foreign and others Japanese, to find an unoccupied stall all the way toward the end of the hall.

He pulled the opaque door, sliding it to the right. Inside, he could see gleaming white tiles and a large space for shower, with shampoo, conditioner, body scrub, and soap all set on a glass holder stuck to the wall.

"Wow, this is so awesome," he cried, sliding the door shut behind him, after having the "Taken" sign hung on the door handle. He could really use a steaming shower right now. Licking his lips, he stripped and tossed the sweaty clothes somewhere in the corner, putting the clean uniform on top of the glass holder.

When he was done and fully refreshed, he felt almost like a different person.

He even used soap and body scrub.

And that was the first time in a while ever since his mom helped him bathe.

"Maybe I'm finally going to have a somewhat normal teenage life!" Tsuna exclaimed, grinning happily as he skipped down the hallway. His dirty clothes were in a basket his mom made him bring to keep his gym uniform. When he had finished showering, cleaned himself up, put things away, and took the trailer back to the main campus, he had only ten minutes of lunch left. And when he got to the cafeteria, he had about seven minutes to eat.

Feeling completely malnourished, he scoffed down the plate of teriyaki without awareness of which table he sat at. Before he ordered the food, he had made sure the table he mentally reserved for himself was empty, but when he actually looked to see if anyone were there, he saw two pairs of leering eyes and one pair glinting behind messy blonde hair.

Automatically, he gulped the saucy rice down his throat.

Byakuran sat across from him, an arm draped over the back of his chair. He was smiling with amusement, and his aura gave off more sprinkles of blooming flowers than usual.

Tsuna was becoming very, very unsettled; his mouth was suddenly very dry as his eyes went from one devil to the next.

"Tsunayoshi-kun," Byakuran said, leaning forward on his palm, "do you happen to prefer oriental food over Italian delicacy?"

"If by Italian delicacy you mean lasagna, I doubt he would," Mukuro put in his two cents.

"I happen to like lasagna, untactful bastard," Bel decided to insert his three cents.

"N-no, uh, what are you guys – " they decided to ignore Tsuna's splutter of gibberish.

"By agreement of mass popularity, raw octopi is the new Italian delicacy," Mukuro stated with ease. His eyes swiveled to glance condescendingly at the blond. "Not that, of course, I expect a bratty prince like you to understand. Right?" He smirked.

"Calm down, Bel," Byakuran told the aggravated blond. "You'll just dirty your knives needlessly. After all, soiling your hands on someone like Mukuro would be an indecent waste of time."

"I take offense to that," said Mukuro, narrowing his eyes.

Bel crackled with mirth. "But I really want to try out my newly designed knives," he whined, inspecting the gleaming weapon with longing. At least, he _seemed_ longing. Who knew what went on behind the hair.

"I'm afraid I won't be of any help in that department," Mukuro smoothly drawled, assuming a tone that leaked of danger. He looked over at Tsuna, who was drinking water, and smirked slightly. "I hope you haven't forgotten your duty to the Club, yes?"

The brunet gulped uncomfortably. Of course he remembered. He had no choice but to, after all.

He thanked whatever god was watching over him with a grateful sigh when the bell rang. Gathering his schoolbag quickly and dumping the food tray, he jumped onto the balls of his feet and prepared to run for the exit. Someone grasped his arm and held him back, however, and he gasped, stumbling backward. Looking up and over, he whimpered like a kicked puppy when his eyes met with Byakuran's icy blue irises.

The man smiled.

"We will be discussing the matter very soon, Tsunayoshi-kun," Byakuran whispered, but he was strangely audible. And his breath was warm against his ear.

Shivering slightly, Tsuna nodded, bowing his head.

It was like the upperclassman's body was seeping ultramale pheromones and making everything and everyone know its or his place on earth. He was the alpha male, and the others his submissive followers. Tsuna mentally pictured a chain around his neck and a cynically amused Byakuran holding onto the leash. That made him escape from the cafeteria as quickly as his spindly legs could carry him.

After Tsuna left, Byakuran returned to the trio, appearing as undaunted as ever.

Mukuro looked at him, lips upturning. "We still must recruit the remaining members before the grand opening. Who do you have in mind?"

"I have potential hosts," replied Byakuran mysteriously.

Bel laughed. "Seems like we're getting freshies this year, eh?" Still snickering to himself quietly, he went ahead of the group to the next period.

"Really," Mukuro said, quirking an eyebrow, "you expect us to use _them_?"

"Why not?" Byakuran chuckled lightheartedly.

"Why, because they would be likely untrained and unpleasant to be around for a long period of time. One is also of an aggressive nature," he added.

"Talking in dog terms, again, aren't you? You've been around your minions for too long."

"Don't try to avoid the topic, Byakuran." Mukuro flicked indigo bangs away from his left eye. "We have to find candidates who are in the criteria. There is a list of things we must do that can no longer be left unattended."

"Right, right, Rokujo-chan," Byakuran chirped, grinning. "Uptight, aren't you? You're already getting into your character."

"I suppose I need to wear specs to fully pull it off, hm?"

"Sensei Mukuro...now that will get set off a riot."

"Please, the ladies adore me enough."

* * *

**Rori's Corner:** I am..soooo sorry guys.

B-b-but Iwasbusygamingandnowschool'sstartedand -

Your reviews made me update. Lol

_*no shame_

Now, what to do for the next chappie? More importantly, when will I update, and are there people actually reading this? orz


End file.
